Gout: Dr. Rosemary Leonard advises on symptoms and treatment Health experts have voiced their concern as some parts of England have seen an almost 1,000 percent increase in cases of a painful Victorian disease. Around one in 40 people in the UK are thought to be suffering from gout - a condition that was prominent more than 100 years ago - but new figures show it could be even more widespread.
Gout is a form of arthritis that causes sudden, severe joint pain. It occurs when a chemical called uric acid forms small crystals in and around the body's joints. These crystals then lead to inflammation - causing swelling, irritation, extreme pain, and tenderness in the affected areas.
Since the late 90s cases of gout have skyrocketed in the UK , with health bodies blaming poor diet and sedentary lifestyles. Now data has shown exactly where the worst affected areas of England are, with some spots seeing an almost 1,000 percent rise in cases in just four years. READ MORE Warning over four serious health conditions you can catch from your shower head Cases of gout have been rising in the UK, with some areas worse affected than others (Image: Getty Images) Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted by NowPatient to NHS trusts nationwide revealed residents in Liverpool to be the most badly affected by gout.
Between 2019 and 2023, the number of gout cases at Liverpool University Hospitals has increased by more than 960 percent, which is more than any other trust in England. In 2019, t.
