Great Western Hospital has seen a big rise in the amount of patients being diagnosed with gout. Research from the health group NowPatient found that several hospital trusts around the country had recorded significant overall increases of the disease over the last five years. GWH had the sixth-highest rise of 61.
7 per cent, with 944 cases in 2019 and 1,526 cases in 2023. It appeared in the rankings between Buckinghamshire Healthcare’s 66.2 per cent increase from 1,368 to 2,273 and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals’ 60.
3 per cent increase from 2,011 to 3,223. Liverpool University Hospitals topped the table with a staggering 960.4 per cent increase in newly-recorded gout cases, going from 553 to 5,864 during the same time period.
NowPatient pharmacist said: Navin Khosla said: “Despite only affecting around one in 40 people in the UK, the research carried out by the team at NowPatient has highlighted the areas where cases of gout are on the rise. “For those who are unaware of what gout is, it’s a type of arthritis that can cause sudden and severe joint pain. “The main symptoms of gout are sudden and severe bouts of pain, which will usually start in the big toe but it can also present itself in the feet, wrists, ankles and other joints of the body.
“Another indication of gout is when the skin over the area of pain turns swollen or red, so if you do experience any of these symptoms, you can take ibuprofen to help ease the pain. “If the symptoms become more frequent and.
