Why is gout considered an ancient human disease?
Release time:
2020-02-29
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, gout is referred to as "bi syndrome," meaning "pain or numbness in the limbs caused by wind, cold, dampness, and other factors." The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, written during the Warring States Period before the Common Era, states that "overuse of the five internal organs, resulting in imbalance of qi and blood, leads to endogenous bi syndrome (gout)." The term "gout" in Traditional Chinese Medicine first appeared in the Liang Dynasty's "Ming Yi Bie Lu" by Tao Hongjing during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. After the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, monographs by Zhu Danxi and Gong Tingshen provided detailed descriptions of gout.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, gout is referred to as "bi syndrome," meaning "pain or numbness in the limbs caused by wind, cold, dampness, and other factors." The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, written during the Warring States Period before the Common Era, states that "overuse of the five internal organs, resulting in imbalance of qi and blood, leads to endogenous bi syndrome (gout)." The term "gout" in Traditional Chinese Medicine first appeared in the Liang Dynasty's "Ming Yi Bie Lu" by Tao Hongjing during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. After the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, monographs by Zhu Danxi and Gong Tingshen provided detailed descriptions of gout.
Historical records indicate that many prominent figures in ancient China suffered from this "foot disease" caused by "fengbi syndrome." These included Guan Yu, the renowned general of the Three Kingdoms period; Li Gang, the Prince's Junior Tutor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang; Lu Zhaolin, one of the "Four Talents of the Early Tang Dynasty"; Bai Juyi, the renowned poet and writer of the mid-Tang Dynasty; and Gao Fenghan, the calligrapher and painter of the Qing Dynasty. Historical records describe the pain caused by gout: Lu Zhaolin, plagued by rheumatism, resigned from his official position and retired, only to drown himself due to unbearable gout pain; Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, suffered from gout for years, even being unable to walk or ride a horse to command battles.
Gout is known abroad as "Gout," a condition that causes pain in the joints, particularly the toes, knees, and fingers. Egyptian archaeological data confirms that chemical analysis of raised lumps on the thumbs of 7,000-year-old mummies found in ancient tombs has revealed that these lumps are urate crystals.
Records of gout in foreign medical texts date back to over 2,000 years BC. Gout was already a recognized disease in ancient Babylonia, afflicting emperors, generals, and high-ranking officials. It was thus called "the disease of kings," "the disease of kings," and "the suffering of the rich." It was prevalent in the courts of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Some people from the lower classes, seeking to curry favor with the royal family, even resorted to contracting gout as a badge of status, boasting about it. Historical records indicate that both Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II suffered from gout and became disabled due to frequent tophi. Several emperors in the French and British royal histories also suffered from gout. For example, the French royal family of Medici was unable to rule due to severe gout, and his son, who succeeded him to the throne, died of gout complications several years later. Many world-renowned figures, including Goethe, Francis Bacon, Darwin, Maupassant, Newton, Galileo, Martin Luther, Leonardo da Vinci, and Benjamin Franklin, also suffered from gout.
It can be seen that for thousands of years from BC to the present, gout has not discriminated against race, region, or nationality, and has specifically affected a small number of people with better living conditions, while most people with the same living conditions are safe and sound. This is so much so that the ancient Greek medical master Galen believed that gout was the daughter of Dionysus, the god of wine, and Venus, the goddess of love, who quietly attached herself to the body because of her preference for outstanding people, causing these celebrities to suffer from unforgettable pain throughout their lives.
As of February 2019, Professor Gu Jieruo, Vice President of the Chinese Medical Association's Society of Rheumatology and Immunology and Deputy Head of the Gout Group, Director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, and a State Council Special Contribution Allowance recipient, has practiced medicine and taught in China for 35 years. Professor Gu Jieruo, who has achieved international and domestic leadership in clinical and basic research on hyperuricemia and gout, and serves as Director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, PhD Supervisor, and State Council Special Contribution Allowance Award recipient, still stated in her published monograph, "Gu Jieruo's 2019 Perspectives on Hyperuricemia and Gout," that "the diagnosis and treatment of hyperuricemia and gout remain global challenges."
This ancient disease, woven with mythical legends, has endured for thousands of years in both China and abroad. With the passage of time, it has spread from the wealthy to the common people worldwide. In recent years, its prevalence and incidence have been increasing year by year, with a trend toward younger patients. Yet, it remains a clinical mystery. So, what exactly is so difficult about the clinical diagnosis and treatment of gout?
To be continued...
Next:
Contact
E-mail：aachek@aachek.com
Phone：+8613558238093
ADD : 13 Lushan Road, Lushan Industrial Park, Xicheng Economic Development Zone, Guilin, 541199 Guangxi PR. China
Mobile
Powered by www.300.cn SEO