Charlie Stayt 57, the presenter on BBC Breakfast, revealed on the show a health condition he suffered that made him “question his health.” Speaking to guest Doctor Amrit Ryatt, the presenter opened up about his health. Stayt said: “I am not over keen on sharing my medical history on television but I have had gout in my foot and it is extraordinarily painful. It happened very quickly, it was literally overnight.”
Doctor Ryatt was guest doctor on the show discussing the condition when Stayt made his revelation.
Gout is caused by a build-up of a substance called uric acid in the blood. When the body produces too much uric acid or if the kidney’s do not filter enough out, it can build up and cause tiny sharp crystals to form in and around the joints.
Doctor Ryatt explained on the show: “Gout is an inflammatory type of arthritis it can affect one or several joints in the body giving a variety of symptoms both short and acute symptoms and if left untreated it can go on to cause other complications.
The acute symptoms are incredibly painful, women who had it described it as being similar to childbirth. Some people can’t tolerate having a simple bed sheet touching the joint that’s affected it’s that painful.”
A study revealed that one in 40 people in the UK is affected by the disease which is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood.
“It makes you question everything because obviously it relates to diet a lot, traditionally it’s linked to alcohol,” Stayt added.
Symptoms of the condition include severe pain in one or more joints, joints feeling hot and very tender, swelling in and around the affected joint, and red, shiny skin over the affected joint.
The NHS said: “Gout is a type of arthritis and it can be extremely painful and debilitating. It causes sudden attacks of severe pain and swelling.
“The condition mainly affects men over 30 and women after menopause. Overall, gout is more common in men than women.
“Treatments are available to help relieve the symptoms and prevent further attacks.”
Doctor Ryatt said: “There are some things that everyone can do whether they have had gout before or not to help reduce the risk of getting gout.
“Certain types of alcohol likes beers, port or fortified wines and stouts they have higher levels of purines which is what’s broken down to form uric acid which causes gout.
“So avoiding drinking too much of them if you have a predisposition to getting gout. Making sure you keeping your alcohol intake within the recommended guidelines so don’t binge drink as thats important as well.
“Making sure you are well hydrated drinking plenty of water that also keeps crystal formation down.
For lifestyle factors we can all do, keeping our weight healthy if you are overweight or obese you are at risk of gout.
“Choose a sensible diet don’t opt for a crash diet or a diet high in proteins because that will also put the risk of purines going up.”
If you manage it correctly by modifying your diet and lifestyle you can reduce your risk of having gout again.
“If you took away any other risk factors like coexisting medical problems such as diabetes, kidney disease you will significantly reduce risks of developing gout or having it come back.”
“If you suspect you may have gout do see your GP for a simple test and investigations done as some people have had current attacks of gout and thats when you can get long-term problems forming in the joints,” Doctor Ryatt concluded.