Donated machines boost the fight against gout

Photo: NICOLA WILLIAMS

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES: Vicky Harris gives a finger prick test to genetics research nurse Gabrielle Sexton-McDevit to check her risk of getting gout.

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More people now have access to a five-minute test that could help prevent gout.

Gout is a type of arthritis caused by a build-up of uric acid crystals in the joints, leading to severe pain and disability.

The condition can be managed by medication and making healthy changes to diet and lifestyle.

Three new machines that test the uric acid level in a drop of blood taken from a finger prick will help to prevent its onset and manage the condition for existing gout patients.

The machines, donated to Arthritis New Zealand by the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, will be taken to health expos, marae and workplaces throughout the upper North Island.

Maori arthritis educator Vicky Harris says the machines, worth $8000 each, will "make a big difference".

Maori and Pacific people are more likely to get gout because they lack a gene that helps excrete uric acid from the body, so machines will be taken to places to target the high-risk group.

Middlemore Hospital has a high number of admissions from gout but it is one of the most treatable types of arthritis, Mrs Harris says.

Gout can also damage the kidneys and lead to diabetes and heart disease.

Tzu Chi Foundation chief executive George Chan says the money for the machines was collected from members New Zealand-wide.

Mr Chan says the foundation regularly raises money for health-related projects.

- © Fairfax NZ News