Is Gout genetic?

For me, it is not difficulty to conclude that Gout is genetic, at least in my case. Just like other illness such as cancers, the gout gene increases the risk of getting attack. With the right amount of high purine food, it triggers the joint pain in an hour or two.

If you are interested in my experience, please read on.

Gout in my family

Believe it or not, I had not heard of gout until I got the first attack. It is understandable as none of my family members had suffered from it before. I was fortunate enough to be the first one, with the only known reason of eating high purine food, of which my favorites were mushrooms, tofu, and broccoli. My younger brother was the second victim. Both of us got the first attack in our early thirties. My mother was around sixty when she felt the pain as female usually has gout attack after menopause. Even though gout had become a common suffering for we three, we did not think of it as genetic. Food was the only to blame.

Explanations from two doctors

Until one day, I went with my mother to see her doctor, who was also a friend of mine, for her body check report. She told us the report showed that my mother's uric acid level was high. When she knew that both of us had gout attacks, she said my gout could be genetic from my mother. That was the best answer for me. It also explained why both my brother and I got the attack earlier than the average. I/we did nothing wrong to get gout.

Since then, I got a chance to talk to a Chinese medical doctor about Gout is genetic as there were three people in my family having it. She seemed to disagree with that. Her explanation was family members usually share the same diet habit. So, if the whole family have high purine food a lot in the diets, the chance of the members to have gout increase. It seems reasonable as well.

The Exception

Wait a minute! How about my father? It seems that we forgot the other member who shared the same diet habit with us. No, he does not have Gout at all and he drinks beer almost everyday for more than thirty years. Should this is a very strong case to defend the food as the prime suspect? One family has three non-alcoholic members suffering from gout and the only alcoholic member is gout free! Amazing!

Case in Family Trees

How about the other members of my parents' family trees? On my father's side, none of my father's siblings has gout. On my mother side, out of seven siblings, two brothers, who lives in the US and Australia, have had Gout for a long time. Apparently, this is somehow related to the gene of my mother side. Including my mother, the chance is one out of four. That coincides with my friend's conclusion.

Now, my brother and I have got married and do not live with our parents. My uncle is living in the US and certainly does not share the same diet habit with us. Living in different places and different diets with the same gene, we all have gout.

Finally

For me, it is not difficulty to conclude that Gout is genetic, at least in my case. Just like other illness such as cancers, the gout gene increases the risk of getting attack. With the right amount of high purine food, it triggers the joint pain in an hour or two.

Suggested Reading

1. Gene linked to higher gout risk. (BBC)