A number of risk factors have been identified as possible causes of gout. For example, genetics may play an important role in determining a person's predisposition towards a disease as about 18% of people with gout have a family history of the disease.1 Gender and age are also important risk factors since gout is more common in men and adults. Obesity and excessive drinking of alcohol, which interferes with removal of uric acid from the body, are also important risk factors. Eating foods rich in purines and exposure to lead are other risk factors that may cause or aggravate gout. Certain medicines that interfere with the body's ability to excrete uric acid are also listed as risk factors for the disease. These include diuretics, low-dose aspirin, niacin, cyclosporine (a medicine used to suppress the body's immune system) and tuberculosis medications such as pyrazinamide and ethambutol. Diseases such as leukemias, lymphomas, and hemoglobin disorders cause excess production of uric acid and may cause gout too. 2

Prevention and Treatment: Preventing gout attacks include steps such as maintaining adequate fluid...

These are followed by treatment with anti-inflammatory non-steroidal and steroidal medicines as the situation demands. When the symptoms of pain and inflammation subside, medications for treating elevated levels of uric acid in the blood are prescribed for long-term therapy. Such medicines work by increasing the excretion of uric acid through the kidneys and by depressing the body's production of uric acid.2
References

Questions and Answers about Gout." National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Website. March 2002. Available at http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/gout/Gout.pdf. Accessed August 9, 2006.

Shiel, William C. Jr. "Gout and Hyperucemia." Medicinenet.com. July 19, 2006. Available at http://www.medicinenet.com/gout/article.htm. Accessed August 9, 2006.

Gout