Hereditary Gout Causes and Purine Metabolic Disease

How Does Heredity Cause Gout?

The hereditary factors of gout can be explained by the way our bodies metabolize the foods we eat.  Enzymes in our cells turn food molecules from one substance to another (for example, sugar to fat).  For example, a string of different enzymes will change a sugar molecule into a fat molecule.  The molecule passes down the "pathway" of enzymes, each with their own part in the process, until it is converted at the other end. How each enzyme is made is controlled by specific genes.  In one out of every 100 live births, a defective enzyme gene is produced, and the enzyme doesn't do its job.

The Problems:

This can lead to two problems.  The first problem is that the original molecule (sugar in this case) will become backed up because the process cannot continue past the defective enzyme.  Secondly, the fat molecule that was going to be produced by the enzymes never gets made, resulting in a scarcity of that molecule. Either situation leads to metabolic disease, which is inherited and present from birth although it may not show up until later in life.

The Role Purines Play in Causing Gout

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="207" caption="BBQ Can Cause Gout"][/caption] photo credit: Wesley Fryer Purines are chemicals found in high protein foods.  When they break down, they turn into uric acid. Purine metabolic disease is caused by a defective gene, which leads to a defective enzyme gene and this is what causes the uric acid to back up in our systems. This excess is either excreted in the urine or turned into the crystals which lead to a gout attack.

What You Should Do

Many people with high uric acid levels in their blood never have a problem with gout.  But if your family has a history of gout, and you suspect that you might have purine metabolic disease, it would be a good idea to alter your lifestyle in an effort to prevent a session with gout and the subsequent pain.
Have you checked out your family history for gout?