Signs and symptoms of gout are more than a sore toe
Any joints can show signs and symptoms of gout, including:
Pain
Swelling
Discolouration
Numbness or tingling (Pins and needles)
Many people, including some doctors, believe that gout is an inflammation of the toe. This can lead to the diagnosis of gout being missed.
Here, I look at the signs and symptoms of gout leading to diagnosis and treatment. Elsewhere, I deal with causes and remedies, including diet. You can easily go to these different gout sections by clicking the buttons on the left menu-bar.
Gout often starts with numbness or tingling (Pins and Needles).The sensation cannot always be tied down to a specific area: e.g. the foot, or even the whole leg, may feel slightly numb. Of course, this can be caused by many other conditions or slight injuries. If you are in the high risk group for gout (see causes of gout) it is a good idea to arrange a gout test now. Gout is best tested for by a rheumatologist, or other medical practitioner familiar with arthrocentesis. Blood tests are not reliable indicators of gout for diagnosis, though they are a vital part of uric acid lowering treatment.
Pins and Needles are common early signs of onset of gout. Uric acid crystals are deposited in joints causing extremely painful inflammation. Many different joints can be affected. In some cases severe redness occurs, in others only slight discolouration.
Unlike other forms of arthritis, gout tends to move from joint to joint, rarely affecting more than two or three joints at a time. Sometimes you suffer with a sore foot, another time it might be a swollen ankle. Knees, elbows and hands are other common targets for swelling and soreness. As the condition progresses lumps can form under the skin. These are known as
tophi
If you are displaying signs and symptoms of gout, your doctor should be able to confirm the diagnosis. Do not assume that your doctor will immediately understand your condition. There is more misinformation and misunderstanding about gout than most conditions, and the medical profession is not completely immune to this. In my own case, it took almost a week of hospital observation before gout was confirmed, though the procedure is actually very simple. It involves drawing fluid from the joint, a procedure known as aspiration or arthrocentesis. This fluid is then analysed to confirm the presence of crystals. This procedure is also the only way to confirm a diagnosis of pseudogout, the symptoms of which are similar to the signs and symptoms of gout.
One thing that is certain about gout is its definition. It is uric acid crystals deposited in the joints, or other body tissue, causing inflammation and acute pain (see causes of gout). High levels of uric acid in the blood indicate a risk of gout. This can be determined by a blood test, and your doctor should advise you what action to take to lower it, before it leads to a gout attack. Confusingly, uric acid levels in the blood usually drop during a gout attack. This is because it has crystallised into your joints. In this case, fluid must be drawn from the affected joint, which may be done by your doctor or by your referral to an appropriate clinic. My diet recommendations will be relevant in either case.
What If It Is Not Gout?
I've mentioned pseudogout, or false gout as it is sometimes called. Unfortunately many other types of arthritis can get confused with gout. So if you've had joint fluid analyzed, and there are no uric acid crystals, what do you do next?
I have added a gout symptom survey to my Gout Pal Interactive site. Please tell me about your symptoms - there are only a couple of questions, so it won't take long. You can see the latest results for gout affected joints and for other gout symptoms.
