Uric acid is a waste product in the body. However, sometimes it can build up in the joints and tissues, causing a range of health problems. Doctors say gout flares often start suddenly at night, and the intense pain may be bad enough to wake you up.

Apart from that, your joint may feel swollen, red, and warm. Gout flares usually occur in one joint and can be triggered by certain foods, alcohol, certain medications, physical trauma, or certain illnesses. High uric acid causes hyperuricemia that clumps together in sharp crystals that settle in your joints and cause gout - a painful form of arthritis. Here are a few symptoms that you may need to take seriously.

If uric acid levels in your body are extremely high, they can lead to severe pain in your hands, legs, toes, ankles, and knees. If the levels continue to be high, or a person is unable to manage the condition, it can lead to gout.

The buildup of uric acid in your joints can cause swollen growths under your skin known as tophi. If left untreated, tophi can lead to loss of motion in your joints and other complications. According to experts, tophi can form in any of the following body parts:

• Feet
• Knees
• Wrists
• Fingers
• Achilles tendon
• Ears

Swelling in your knees

Swelling in joints due to high uric acid is caused by gout – as excess uric acid in the blood forms crystals that deposit in the joints, leading to inflammation, pain, and swelling.

It is often characterized by sudden, painful flare-ups, usually affecting the big toe or other lower limb joints.

The characteristic collection of uric acid crystals in the joint begins with the accumulation of uric acid in the blood. It is formed when the body breaks down purines - a compound that occurs naturally in our tissue and in high levels in some foods, including alcoholic beverages, shellfish, and some meats, including bacon, turkey, venison, and organ meats.

Normally, uric acid dissolves in the blood, is filtered by the kidneys, and excreted through urine. However, if the body produces too much uric acid or the kidneys are not efficient at eliminating it, it causes redness.

High uric acid causes movement problems primarily due to the formation of uric acid crystals in joints, which manifests as severe pain, swelling, and inflammation, significantly limiting the range of motion in affected joints, making it difficult to move normally; particularly affecting areas like the big toe, ankle, and knee.

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