May 2020
Today is Gout Awareness Day!
Greetings!

We hope you are continuing to stay safe and healthy as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The Gout Education Society is committed to raising public awareness of gout and providing free resources to help everyone better understand gout and treatment options.

Today is Gout Awareness Day. Fifteen years ago, our chairman, Dr. Larry Edwards, and the late "godfather of gout" Dr. H. Ralph Schumacher, formed the Gout Education Society, because there was little information publicly available about the disease. Every year, we commemorate Gout Awareness Day by sharing our complimentary resources and scheduling activities to raise awareness.

Read on for a recap of this week's Gout Awareness Day activities and be sure to v isit GoutEducation.org to download our resources or share our gout cartoons .
Line-Up for Gout Awareness Day
If you missed our virtual educational activities leading up to Gout Awareness Day, you are still able to check out some archives!

On May 19 , we held a Reddit AMA on   r/gout . Visit this link to read through all of the questions gout sufferers posted!

On May 20 , we hosted our fourth annual Gout Awareness Day Twitter Chat on Twitter ( @GoutEducation ). You can follow the conversation by searching for #GoutAwarenessDay, but stay tuned for our official archive of the chat.

On May 19 , we held a Reddit AMA on   r/medicine . Visit this link to read through all of the questions medical professionals posted!
Responses from Gout Sufferers Needed! Survey on Gout Treatment During Coronavirus Pandemic
The University of Alabama is conducting a survey about gout treatment during the coronavirus pandemic. Please help out by clicking on the link below. Participation is voluntary.

New Cartoons
Our cartoons may be ironic, but gout is often unjustly poked fun at! Take a look at some of our newest cartoons to stay educated on gout. If you are interested in publishing any of these or using them in a presentation, please contact us by replying to this email.
This month's educational cartoon shows angry uric acid crystals in the blood—reinforcing that even when a gout sufferer isn't suffering from a flare, the disease is still prevalent. When gout is untreated, uric acid settles into joints, getting ready to cause another flare or permanent damage.
Last month's cartoon drew attention to National Alien Day, with a message letting sufferers know to not let gout abduct their life. If you suffer from gout, don't wait for your next flare—get help now. If you are on medication and still experiencing flares, talk to your doctor to increase dosage or switch medications so you can stop experiencing pain.