Q: I am suffering from gouty arthritis. I got this problem 8 years ago but I came to know that this is arthritis only now. Will it affect my wife also? Will it have an impact on my children? I have 2 children and I am planning for the third. If it affects the child, then will I have to postpone my plan?

A:Gout is fairly common problem. Possibly it got precipitated in your case soon after marriage because you may have indulged in high protein (non-veg) food or alcohol. The disease will not be transmitted to your wife. It does have an increased risk of transmission to the children later in life and they need to be cautioned on dietary indulgence and abstinence from alcohol.