Gout Symptoms
Gout symptoms are often thought to be just a swollen big toe.
Though gout causes swollen joints, there are other symptoms.
Gout Symptoms Help
Unfortunately, many symptoms are similar to other diseases, so you need a full understanding of the causes of your gout before you can confirm your gout diagnosis.
My own gouty story started with a delayed gout diagnosis because the painful swelling started in my ankle. The doctor “thought it might be gout, but it isn’t in your toe!”
After my gout was confirmed by joint fluid analysis in hospital, I became fascinated by gout. My research told me that gout has many causes; has many signs; has symptoms that can be confused with many other diseases; and can be very difficult to diagnose.
All that research, which I still continue to do, has generated a lot of information related to diagnosing gout. To make it easier to find I have divided it into subsections:
Please note that I am transferring pages from the old (October 2009) style, and so many links will still be to old style pages.
Gout Causes
- Knowing the causes of gout helps you overcome it
- All causes of gout relate to uric acid. Understand what is happening and you are better placed to overcome the pain of gout and reduce the chance of repeat attacks.
Signs & Symptoms of Gout
- Painful, swollen or tingling joints? See these signs and symptoms of gout
- Signs and symptoms of gout are more than a sore toe. Any joints can show symptoms of gout, including: Pain, swelling, discolouration, tingling or pins and needles.
Gout Diagnosis
There are also other gout articles that refer to gout diagnosis. These are not complete enough to be included in this Gout Symptoms Reference section but you can still learn a lot from the Gout Diagnosis articles
Gout Symptoms: Next Steps
Now that you can see that gout symptoms are very wide ranging and the many causes of gout can make gout diagnosis difficult.
You really need to read all the pages in this section to be certain that you have gout. However, if you have had a confirmed gout diagnosis from your doctor, then the best next step is to study the Gout Cures Section.
If you really do not understand your symptoms, or if you are confused by your doctors diagnosis, you can always ask in the Gout Forum.