Photo by Europeana via Unsplash

By Stephen Beech

Gout could be treated by an ancient gene that humans lost millions of years ago, suggests new research.

A form of arthritis caused by crystals that build up in joints and cause swelling and pain, gout is one of humanity’s oldest diseases.

Once regarded as an illness of the wealthy and believed to have been suffered by Henry VIII, the painful condition is the most common form of arthritis in men and affects around one in 40 adults.

Gout has seen a resurgence in recent years with an almost 1,000% rise in cases in just four years in some parts of England.

Symptoms include sudden, severe pain in a joint, often the big toe, as well as hot, swollen, red skin over the affected joint.

Now, scientists at Georgia State University in the United

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