Researchers in Scotland have found a particular gene variant that may increase the risk of gout.
Gout is a painful joint condition that tends to affect the big toe, although it can develop in any of the body's joints.
Sufferers tend to experience attacks that last for between three and ten days, in which the affected joints become swollen and inflamed.
There has recently been an increase in the incidence of gout, which has largely been attributed to unhealthy lifestyles.
Researchers at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh have now identified a variant of the SLC2A gene, which they believe makes it harder for the body to remove uric acid.
This then builds up in the blood and forms crystals in the joints.
Researcher Harry Campbell told the BBC: 'Some people will have higher or lower risk of gout depending on the form of the gene they inherited.
'This discovery may allow better diagnostic tools for gout to be developed.'
Gout is a painful joint condition that tends to affect the big toe, although it can develop in any of the body's joints.
Sufferers tend to experience attacks that last for between three and ten days, in which the affected joints become swollen and inflamed.
There has recently been an increase in the incidence of gout, which has largely been attributed to unhealthy lifestyles.
Researchers at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh have now identified a variant of the SLC2A gene, which they believe makes it harder for the body to remove uric acid.
This then builds up in the blood and forms crystals in the joints.
Researcher Harry Campbell told the BBC: 'Some people will have higher or lower risk of gout depending on the form of the gene they inherited.
'This discovery may allow better diagnostic tools for gout to be developed.'
Labels: aches and pains
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