Stressed Out About Gout?

Gout is characterized by sudden attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in one or more joints, most often in the big toe.

Gout happens when urate crystals accumulate in your joint, causing the inflammation and intense pain of a gout flare up.

Signs, Symptoms & Causes

Gout almost always occurs suddenly, and often at night. The symptoms you might experience during a gout attack include:

• Intense joint pain that usually affects the big toe, but it can occur in any joint such as ankles, knees, elbows, wrists and fingers.
• Lingering discomfort after the initial severe pain subsides after 4-12 hours. Some joint discomfort may last from a few days to a few weeks. Later gout flare-ups are likely to last longer and affect more joints.
• Inflammation and redness. The affected joint or joints become swollen, tender, warm and red. Seek medical care immediately if you have a fever and a joint is hot and inflamed, which can be a sign of infection.
• As gout progresses, you may have limited range of motion.

How is gout diagnosed?

If you think you are experiencing a gout flare-up, you should schedule an appointment with your primary care physician or visit an EvergreenHealth urgent care in your neighborhood for treatment options. Gout that goes untreated can lead to worsening pain and joint damage.

Your doctor can usually diagnose gout based on the appearance of the affected joint as well as symptoms you're presenting. Diagnoses can also be made from the following tests:

• Joint fluid test: urate crystals may be visible when the join fluid is examined under a microscope.
• Blood test: your doctor may recommend a blood test to measure the levels of uric acid in your blood, however the blood test results can be misleading. Some people have high uric acid levels, but never experience gout and some people have signs and symptoms of gout, but don't have unusual levels of uric acid in their blood.
• X-ray: joint X-rays can be helpful to rule out other causes of joint inflammation.

Based on your test results, your doctor will create a personalized treatment plan to help reduce the pain from gout and prevent the complication that come from gout being untreated. If you are experiencing joint pain, but not from gout, schedule an appointment at EvergreenHealth Orthopedic & Sports Care.