Brenna Cooper
A fit and healthy marathon runner has been left in need of a kidney transplant after developing a 15th century disease.
When you hear the word gout, the first image which comes to mind is probably that of Henry VIII, who developed the condition after a life-time of overindulging on rich foods and alcohol.
Despite its medieval connotations, gout is still very much prevalent and can have very serious knock-on effects on your health.
One person to experience this was Niven Hopkins, who was diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease after his foot swelled to four times its initial size.
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In July last year the electrical and air conditioning engineer was left in agonising pain after his foot suddenly swelled. After days of struggling in pain after being unable to get an appointment, Niven was finally able to see his GP and received a diagnosis of gout.
According to the NHS, gout is a type of arthritis which comes on suddenly and is caused by a buildup of uric acid in the blood.
Gout typically appears in your big toe but can also develop in other joints in your feet, ankles, hands, wrists, elbows or knees. Uric acid build-up in the blood can also increase your risk of developing kidney failure.
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The condition is treated with a combination of painkillers and healthier lifestyle choices.
The diagnosis of gout came as a surprise for Niven, who is a keen runner and lives a healthy lifestyle.
"I managed to see the doctor and he said 'we weren’t expecting someone like you to walk in, so young and healthy, we were expecting someone a bit older or overweight'," he recalled.
Just three days after the diagnosis, the 27-year-old received a devastating phone call at 5am informing him that his kidneys were failing and he need to go to hospital immediately.
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"That was a big shock, obviously. My girlfriend was in tears," he said. "I was in there for about six days, where I was on a drip and undergoing loads of examinations."
Niven was then diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease, with tests showing his kidneys only function at around 15 percent of the level of fully functioning kidneys.
He is now waiting for a kidney transplant and unsure about what could've caused such a devastating condition. Doctors believe it could be due to eating a diet with too much protein - something which Niven is unsure of.
"The shock of the gout was one thing, and then I had a kidney biopsy and they said ‘yeah, your kidneys are in that bad of a condition we can’t get a sample to test it’," he said.
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While he waits to be matched with a donor Niven has signed himself up to do The London Marathon this April and is currently raising funds for Kidney Care UK.
A link to his GoFundMe can be found here.