Nearly one-in-20 of the Irish population may be suffering room the painful joint condition gout, according to the support group Arthritis Ireland.

The incidence of gout has increased by one-third in the United States over the past two decades. Arthritis Ireland says the number of people with the condition in Ireland is likely to be increasing at a similar rate.

This, it says, means between 130,000 and 185,000 people, or around 4% of the population in Ireland, may now have gout.

Gout is marked by sudden and severe joint pain which is caused by a build-up of uric acid in the body. The most common site for an attack of gout is the joint at the base of the big toe.

People who are obese, older people and those with hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol are more likely to get the condition.

A recent study from Boston University School of Medicine showed that 4% of the US population is now affected by gout.

Arthritis Ireland warns that gout is likely to increase in Ireland due to our rising obesity rates and our ageing population.

Read more about gout here

See also the Arthritis Ireland website.