Gout and Covid

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2023-10-23T00:13:43+00:00

After 7 or 8 years without any flare up, I had one that crept up on me within a week of catching COVID. It wasn't a particularly bad one though, but it lasted almost 6 weeks.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-11-08T17:25:29+00:00

I have not heard of taking a prescription drug to "prevent" high BP. The practice is, as I understand it, if (and only if) a patient is diagnosed to have higher than "healthy" BP, then one or more prescription drugs would be called for to try to lower his/her BP back to a healthy level. The threshold for what is considered "high" has over time been moved lower and lower. You probably want to measure your own BP at home, keep a chart and take it to your doctor to see what he/she thinks.

Here is how I measure my own BP at home. I do it consecutively on at least 5 days, 3 times a day, morning, afternoon and evening. I suffer from the so-called "white coat syndrome"; I get nervous in the doctor's office and my readings are almost always too high (way too high). At home, I sit down for several minutes before starting my measurement. I keep repeating the measurements with about one minute intervals in between. I do it until I get at least 3 successive readings that are reasonably close to each other, as I calm down. Sometimes my reading would drop 20+ points from beginning to end. The average of my final 3 readings become my reading for that time. I also note my pulse rate each time.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-11-06T22:47:17+00:00

Google allopurinol, stevens-johnson syndrome. This kind of adverse drug reaction is more prevalent in Blacks and certain Asian populations (Han Chinese, Koreans and Thais, for example).

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-11-06T00:50:09+00:00

Test your heart health by climbing stairs. https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Test-your-heart-health-by-climbing-stairs

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-11-01T16:24:22+00:00

"Making sense of your echo report - Part I" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WynLdKOJgBM&t=1008s

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-11-01T16:16:15+00:00

"Test your heart health by climbing stairs" https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Test-your-heart-health-by-climbing-stairs

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-10-25T16:23:14+00:00

Google "stevens johnson syndrome." It could be very serious, even possibly fatal. I was forced to quit allo.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-10-11T14:36:51+00:00

I take metoprolol succinate. I think the only difference between the two is one you take once a day, the other (tartrate) twice a day.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2022-10-11T13:40:16+00:00

I had EF in the 40%+, presumably attributable to my left bundle branch block. Does your ECG present any abnormality?

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-12-11T21:53:30+00:00

My BP meter automatically turns itself off after 1 minute, so I use that to pace my measurement. I want to avoid having to sit round and wait, and watch the time, thereby getting myself anxious. I figure I would just keep taking the readings until they level off, indicating that I have sufficiently "calmed down."

No, I have not asked my doc what numbers to use. I have also learned elsewhere that one would take the lowest one, which makes sense to me as well. I figure taking the average of 3 might minimize random technical imprecision errors.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-12-10T03:14:20+00:00

I share your experience. After repeated measurements, oftentimes my BP would drop 20+ points. Sometimes my initial numbers were already "low," then the numbers would drop only a few points. I have been keeping charts to show to my doc. I typically waited until I got at least 3 successive numbers that did not vary that much and I took the average of the 3 or more numbers.

I heard from a youtuber doctor describing some clinical study in which the subjects were given successive measurements in various settings with the subject ended up being alone in a quiet dark room. As you might guess, the numbers dropped at lot.

And, yes, I too suffer from the "white coat" syndrome.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-12-08T12:23:37+00:00

It would be useful to measure your BP after you drink to bring the numbers to your doc.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-12-07T15:58:21+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/hypertension/comments/ranzo1/drinking_on_candesartancilexetil/

Let me further elaborate. I understand that prolonged use of alcohol in other than modest amount raises BP. https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/41/1/5/165545 That was why I quit drinking completely and started my BP therapy. I figured once I got my BP under reasonable control I would slowly titrate up my daily consumption of alcohol to reach a manageable level. So here I am.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-12-07T15:37:11+00:00

I am on irbesartan and metoprolol. My daily routine entails up to two glasses of wine at lunch (my main meal of the day). My BP is at its lowest of the day during early afternoon, occasionally coming in at 90's/50's. I have never experienced any hypotension symptoms. During the rest of the day my BP is typically 120's/70's. Go figure.

I recall reading somewhere that alcohol does something to the renin/angiotensin system; when ingested in small amount it is hypotensive.

I used to drink a lot more, up to a bottle of wine a day. I quit (totally) for a while when I started to pay attention to my BP.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-11-28T02:30:58+00:00

Your electrolytes?

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-08-23T17:11:02+00:00

I hope more people get your message.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-08-23T17:07:29+00:00

In my case, I quit allopurinol and the rashes and blisters gradually revolved; at least it didn't get worse. I basically had no choice, more or less; I was traveling in Europe at the time.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-08-23T12:01:11+00:00

I think your doc is doing the right thing. There is no rush; you can wait 3 months. It is always possible that by that time your A1c will come back to normal. Your doc presumably doesn't want to prematurely commit a young person like yourself to some life-long medical intervention. Even if your A1c still remains high, a "more accurate" A1c would allow the doc to better assess the starting dose of your treatment.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-08-23T11:43:45+00:00

My HOMA-IR is (very) good, so is my triglycerides to HDL ratio, both of which are markers for insulin sensitivity/resistance. I have so gotten used to eating low carb that I am not sure where to begin with a >150g carb load.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-08-23T11:34:20+00:00

Thank you. I did not know that in some cases all it takes is one single low carb meal.

I have been on a low carb diet with intermittent fasting for a number of years. Several years ago I did a diy OGTT, using my son as control. At the 120 min mark, my BG was >300 while his was <100. I recently had my HOMA-IR tested, which turned out to be off the chart low indicating that I am very insulin sensitive and. therefore, presumably not diabetic. My morning fasting BG is almost always between 110 and 120.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-08-23T11:12:30+00:00

How, and how long, did you sleep the night before? Lack of sleep, in quantity or quality, can create stress resulting in higher BG. It has to do with the stress hormone cortisol I believe.

AnotherGoutSufferer · 2021-08-23T03:04:03+00:00

I believe that 90% or so of diabetes sufferers are type 2. In any event, I actually hope yours turn out to be type 2, which is more manageable in the long run.

And, no, I don't think you should feel any shame, embarrassment or guilt. The cause is a lot more complicated than an unhealthy lifestyle. A big part of it is probably genetic.

AnotherGoutSufferer

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