Many people don’t realise that they have gout, until they start to suffer from gout symptoms. The first thing you need to realise about gout, before you look into specific gout symptoms, is that gout is essentially a form of arthritis. It’s a disease where uric acid builds up, and forms crystals, in the joints, which leads to many similarities with other forms of arthritis.

So what are the most common gout symptoms, and how can you tell if you should be tested or checked by a doctor or specialist?

• One of the most common of all gout symptoms is pain, swelling, and heat, felt in one joint. Most often, this joint is the big toe joint. This is known as podagra.
• As the gout symptoms increase, patients find that even the slightest pressure on the joint in question becomes excruciating. Many cannot even endure a sheet on the affected joint at night.
• The pain in the affected joint will usually last at least several days, but it will gradually subside.
• Another of the gout symptoms associated with podagra is the peeling of the skin around the affected joint as it heals.
• Very limited movement of affected joints and very red or purple skin tone around affected joints are also clear gout symptoms, and usually what leads doctors to diagnose gout in patients.
• Nodules, known as tophi, are another of the more common gout symptoms. These can occur anywhere, but are most common on the hands, ears, and elbows.
• In some cases, gout symptoms may be more generalised, and not experienced only in one joint. In these cases, they may be mistaken for other forms of arthritis.
• Gout symptoms are also often triggered by an injury or illness, so if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, and you have recently been ill or injured, you might be suffering your first experience of gout.

If you are experiencing signs of gout, and you have not been diagnosed with the syndrome, then the best advice would be to visit your doctor.

The only concrete way to diagnose gout is by performing an analysis of the fluid in the joints, known as an arthrocentesis. When your doctor does this, he or she can determine the level of uric acid in the fluid, and that will tell him or her whether what you are suffering from is gout, or something else.

Sometimes, doctors will use a blood uric acid test, and while it’s not considered infallible, it is considered an accurate enough assessment, when gout symptoms are also present.

The secret to successfully treating and managing gout is to begin treatment, and to make lifestyle changes, as early as possible in the life cycle of the disease. There may not be a cure for gout, but the disease is manageable, and you can still enjoy a good quality of life as a sufferer. So if you are experiencing what you suspect are gout symptoms, then it’s best to visit your doctor as soon as possible, and confirm the diagnosis.

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