Is gout genetic?

I've been experiencing a lot of pain in my left foot over the past few weeks. While I think this is probably related to overuse and bad shoes, I'm concerned about other possibilities. My father has gout and it gets really bad sometimes. Is gout heritable? Could my pain be caused by gout instead of a stress injury?

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Gout maybe genetically associated, though without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. Other possibilities that may need to be considered are injuries to tendons/ ligaments, fractures, growths/ masses/ spurs, infections, inflammations, degenerations, nerve compression/ impingement etc. I would suggest consulting a primary care physician or an orthopedician for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management.
Hope this helps.

Take care!