After studying many leading gout websites, and trawling through hundreds of gout study abstracts, you may think you could pin-down the main cases of gout - not so! Like many diseases and disorders, there doesn’t seem a single cause, but a multitude of factors that may play a role in the development of this disease.

So here’s what some ‘experts’ think the cause or common causes of gout are:

• Although excess uric acid in the blood is a factor, it does not inevitably lead to gout!
• There is strong correlation between the disorder and diet – the conclusions of 12 year-long study.
• Obesity increases the threat of developing gouty arthritis.
• Some moderately common diseases and disorders, as well as lymphoma, leukemia and psoriasis, may lead to gout.
• It’s known that inherited genetic disorders can cause hyperuricemia which may result in the development of gout in children.
• Menopause may play a role, because pre-menopausal women have a significantly lower risk of developing gout than similar aged men.
• Excessive consumption of certain foods may increase the body's production of uric acid and therefore lead to the disease.
• A defect in specific enzyme metabolism may alter the way the body assimilates and processes purines in some gout suffers.
• Interestingly, it’s been speculated that greater than normal exposure to lead can may lead gout.
• High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is fairly common among patients with gout, but whether it’s a cause or symptom is unknown.
• Abnormal or unusual metabolism of certain compounds in foods (purines) can result in too much uric acid in a person’s blood stream.
• Gout may follow the development of a different disease.
• Even though diet and excessive alcohol consumption may contribute to the disease, they are not believed to be the main causes of the condition.
• Certain medications may affect kidney function or purine metabolism and therefore influence gout development.
• Heart attack and strokes may predispose an individual to gout.
• Overall, gout may be considered primary or secondary dependent on factors that contribute to high uric acid levels in the bloodstream.
• Dramatic variations in diet or significant weight-gain or weight-loss may cause gout attacks or even contribute to the disease.

Indeed, from all the studies, the causes of gout are mult-factorial! There's no single factor that has been proven to cause the disease.