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Gout

Condition Basics

What is gout?

Gout is a kind of arthritis, Opens dialog. It can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe. These attacks can happen over and over unless gout is treated. Over time, they can harm your joints, tendons, and other tissues. Gout is most common in men.

What causes it?

Gout is caused by too much uric acid, Opens dialog in the blood. Usually, having too much uric acid isn't harmful. Many people with high levels in their blood never get gout. But sometimes when these levels in your blood are too high, the uric acid forms hard crystals in your joints.

What are the symptoms?

The most common sign of gout is a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and intense pain in a joint, usually your big toe joint, Opens dialog. It may get worse quickly and last for hours, a few days, or even weeks. Gout can affect how much you can move the affected the joint.

How is it diagnosed?

To diagnose gout, your doctor may take a sample of fluid from your joint to look for uric acid crystals. This is the best way to test for gout. Your doctor may also do a blood test to measure the amount of uric acid in your blood and do imaging tests, such as ultrasound.

How is gout treated?

Medicines can help treat gout. To stop a gout attack, your doctor will prescribe pills such as colchicine or NSAIDs (such as naproxen). Sometimes it's treated with a steroid shot. The sooner you get started on medicines, the sooner your symptoms will start to get better.

Resting the joint that hurts can also help you feel better. Taking ibuprofen or another anti-inflammatory medicine can help too. Using ice on the sore joint may also help.

To manage long-term gout and prevent future attacks, your doctor can prescribe a medicine to reduce uric acid buildup in your blood. For the first few months you will probably take another medicine with it to prevent attacks until the long-term medicine has time to work.

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Current as of: July 31, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

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