The typical gout symptoms seen at the onset of a gout flareup are sudden sharp pains in the affected joint, accompanied by tenderness, heat, redness and swelling. The joint most commonly affected is the big toe (Podagra), but it can happen to almost any joint in the body. The buildup of needle like Uric acid crystals in the joint can produce a pain so excruciating that lightest touch of clothing or bed sheet is agony.
Left untreated the pain and swelling in gout
attacks improve within a week or so but as gout is a form of arthritis, it almost always returns. Gouty arthritis attacks usually recur with increasing frequency and persist for longer periods over time. Typically gout starts in one joint but can gradually involve multiple joints. With untreated gout there is also an increased risk of developing painful kidney stones.
Less painful but more worrying are the collections of lumps that develop around affected joints. These lumps are chalky deposits of Uric acid crystals called Tophi, and are typically seen in the elbow, in the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle and oddly enough in the earlobe. The most important fact about Tophi is that their presence is diagnostic of gout and usually indicates a more advanced forms of gout. Chronic Tophi are a worrying sign as they suggest long term chronic joint damage with increasing risk of permanent disabilities
Typical Signs of Gout
These are the main signs of Gout:
- Hyperuricemia - The presence of excessive amounts of Uric acid in the bloodstream
- Arthritis Attacks - Attacks that develop overnight producing redness, heat, swelling, and tenderness in a joint. Multiple attacks typically affecting a single joint such as a toe or ankle.
- Uric Acid Crystals in Joint - The presence of high levels of uric acid crystals in tests of synovial (joint) fluid.
When It’s Not Gout!
There are other forms of arthritis that can mimic gout. These attacks have the pain, swelling and joint inflammation of gout but not the same cause. The most typical of these so resembles gout that it is called Pseudo Gout. It also is caused by a crystalline deposit in joints but is produced by excesses of Calcium Phosphate crystals rather than too much Uric acid.
If you or a loved one you care for have any of the indicated gout symptoms you need to seek qualified medical care for an accurate diagnosis and management advice but if you are looking for more gout information it's worthwhile reading Lisa McDowell's Cure Gout Now.
