It was once considered the condition of kings struck low by their own greed.

But now gout is back on the rise with hospitals seeing a noticeable increase in the number of reported cases.

With more than two months of the year still to go, Brighton and Sussex University Hospital Trust has seen a 58% increase in the number of cases so far this year.

The trust has seen 38 cases this year compared to 24 in 2011 with patients as young as 30 suffering from the condition.

Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust reporting a doubling of cases between 2009/10 and 2011/12 – treating more than one case a week.

The local rises are well above the 7% increase in hospital admissions for the arthritic condition.

Health experts said that the number of gout sufferers may be far higher than the current number of hospital admissions because they were ashamed to admit to having the condition and because doctors didn’t deem the condition as a high priority.

Dr Kelsey Jordan, director of UK Gout Society and consultant rheumatologist at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, said that many doctors were failing to take regular checks of patient’s uric acid levels to see whether the treatment they were receiving was effective.

She added that gout sufferers often had other medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol which doctors prioritised.

Dr Jordan also said that some patients could have the condition for ten to fifteen years without seeking help.

The condition that once laid King Henry VIII low is now being seen increasingly in young men in their early to mid-30s because of their diets and high intake of alcohol.

However, the increase has also been attributed to gout sufferers being diagnosed earlier and living
longer and so hospital staff are seeing each sufferer more.

Gout often manifests itself in bursts of intense pain in the big toe, foot or ankle which can last for up to ten days but can also be found in the finger joints of elderly patients.

Old treatments for the condition date back to the Seventies while newer treatments can cost up to £1,000 a year per patient.

Dr Jordan advises anyone who may be suffering from gout to visit their doctor and insist on having annual checks on their uric acid levels.

She said: “Because it’s an ancient condition that is even mentioned in Hippocrates, it’s something that doctors feel comfortable in managing but we find that it’s treated very badly.

“We have found people are not subjected to checks on their uric acid levels after being recommended a treatment, which is the same as diagnosing diabetes but not monitoring blood sugar levels.

“Gout is not the benign condition people assume it to be although it can be cured if treated early.”