Getting Rid of Gout

Anyone suffering from this traumatic arthritic condition will fully appreciate the new edition of Getting Rid of Gout. Included in the new sections are updated dietary guidelines, including current research on the role of diet in preventing gout, and a description of the new medications available for its treatment.

Bryan Emmerson, a recognised authority on gout, argues that if control of the elevated concentrations of uric acid can be achieved through either diet or medication modifications, gout attacks will cease and there will be no further complications. He goes on to outline how effective prevention of gout requires sufferers to understand their condition, one that can be a result of both genetic and lifestyle factors.

Written in an understandable and sympathetic manner with the aid of diagrams and cartoons, Getting Rid of Gout offers sensible advice and dispels the popular fallacies about the nature and causes of gout.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Eric J Hochman, MD(Washington University Medical Center)
Description:This is a complete guide to gout and gout care geared towards the patient, but with some useful basic information for practitioners, too. The previous edition was published in 1996.
Purpose:The purpose is to educate the gout sufferer about all aspects of the disease. Through this knowledge, the author hopes to improve gout treatment. As the successful treatment of gout depends on a well educated and compliant patient, these are worthy objectives. The book does a good job meeting its objectives, although it may be written at a level that is difficult to understand by the typical patient.
Audience:This book is written to be a reference for the patient, according to the author. It also has some basic information that is useful to the general practitioner and even rheumatologist. The author seems to be a credible authority on gout.
Features:This book covers gout from all angles. Everything from the history of gout to its pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment is covered. It is well written, concise, and very readable (although possibly at too high an educational level). Graphs, radiographs, illustrations and cartoons are well placed to help keep the book interesting to the reader. It would be useful if it included a list of other references for the patient.
Assessment:Overall, this is a very good reference for the relatively educated patient. It helps explain the underlying mechanisms of the disease and why it is so important to be compliant with treatment regimens, diet, etc. To my knowledge, this is the only book written with this goal in mind. This second edition does have updated information that justifies its publication.