Health advice for Solomon Islanders: Relief from gout symptoms helped by taking a simple remedy.

DEAR EDITOR, a very painful medical condition suffered by many people in the Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific region is known to be caused by having too much uric acid in the blood and is known as gout.

Quoting a recent news bulletin on the subject from Radio New Zealand this is what was said:

“Pacific people who suffer from gout need to see their doctor for a simple remedy, a New Zealand academic says.

“Fourteen percent of Pacific adults in New Zealand have gout compared with eight percent of Maori and four percent of Europeans.

“Only a third of Pacific sufferers are on a managed gout-arthritis programme.

“Otago University professor Tim Merriman said Pacific people had high uric acid counts in their blood which was a genetic advantage in fighting diseases like malaria.

“However, the acid could turn into painful crystals in joints through reaction with certain foods, Dr Merriman said.

“Anti-inflammatory painkillers used for gout can harm kidney function, he said, but another medicine is available.

“Really the way to treat gout is to get on the Allopurinol which slows down the production of uric acid in the blood, gets it down to the level of 0.36 and at that level the crystals won’t form in your blood.”

Copyright © 2018, Radio New Zealand

Reducing the amount of alcohol consumed can also help to reduce the risk of getting gout.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

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