There are a couple of flaws in that conventional image. We know, for example, that gout doesn't afflict only the privileged classes and that women, too, are susceptible, though a lot less than men. But still there's a good deal right with that picture. Obesity in general, and in particular excessive weight gain in men between ages 20 and 40, has been shown to increase the risk of gout. In fact, about half of all gout sufferers are overweight.
Some authorities believe the increase is related to higher living standards.
For most people, the process works just fine. But in some1 million Americans, uric acid metabolism has gone seriously haywire. As a result, they suffer from gout. And suffer they do. The pain is like that of a dislocation.