What is tophi and how to treat it

When people reach a certain age, they will deal with various diseases. In addition to the three common highs in life, there is also tophi. So what is tophi and what are the symptoms of tophi? How should we maintain our health?

Introduction to tophi

During the course of gout, a hard nodule like a stone will appear in patients, which is called "tophi", also known as gout nodule.

These sodium urate crystals are deposited in soft tissues, causing chronic inflammation and nodules formed by fibrosis. Tophi are most commonly found in the helix of the ear, and are also commonly seen in the first metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe, fingers, wrists, elbows and knee joints. In a small number of patients, they may appear in the nasal cartilage, tongue, vocal cords, eyelids, aorta, heart valves and myocardium. It invades the bones near the joints, causing bone deformities or damage to the bones. These gouty nodules can also be found in the synovium, tendon sheaths and cartilage near the joints. Gout stones vary in size, ranging from small ones like sesame seeds to large ones like eggs.

Gout stone health care

1. Eat more vegetables and drink more water

Eating more vegetables can make urine alkaline. At the same time, the amount of water you drink every day should be more than 2000cc, which can help the excretion of uric acid. In the past, some people believed that tea, coffee, and cocoa would increase uric acid, but new information shows that these beverages do not increase uric acid and can be consumed in moderation.

2. Don’t drink alcohol

Alcohol should be absolutely prohibited because the lactic acid produced by the metabolism of alcohol in the body will affect the excretion of uric acid and induce the onset of tophi.

3. Reduce foods containing high amounts of nuclear protein

This type of food mainly includes: offal (parts with high metabolic rates, such as heart, liver, and kidney), some fish, germ, beans (foods that will sprout or have already sprouted, but excluding mung bean sprouts), gravy, broth (purine is easily soluble in water, and long-simmered broth contains a large amount of purine dissolved from the meat), etc. It is best for patients to reduce the consumption of such food without affecting normal nutritional intake.

4. Eat the right amount of protein

Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body. When it is insufficient, it will cause the body's functions to decline. However, because excess protein will increase the body's self-synthesized purine, protein intake should be moderate. One gram of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day is best, which can provide the body with sufficient protein without causing excessive amounts.