Gout Symptom

Most prominent and common gout symptom is swelling of the joint in the big toe where it joins foot. Gout is very painful and also can enlarged if gout is not treated or neglected. The pain often last for 10-12 days. Repeated gout attacks can cause long-lasting damage. The area of attack often becomes red, inflamed, hot, tender and accompanied with pain.

Not only foot joint are affected by gout, but other joints such as knee, heel, and fingers are also affected. In some cases people also or may develop lumps on the rim of the ear or any other parts of the body near or adjoining area of joins under the skin. These gout lumps are termed as tophi. Due to improper gout treatment or negligence over long-term there can be deformity of joints and there can be large lumps under the skin. But with recent and proper gout treatment available this is very unlikely.

The gout symptoms can last from 3-10 days and often get better even without treatment. There are specific list of foods that cause gout should be avoided. The next gout attack is very much unpredictable, it may occur after many months or even years later. Normally only one joint is affected at a time and the gout symptom of swelling and pain start within a day.

Drawing fluid from the joints and looking for uric acid crystals do proper diagnosis or determining if the arthritis is due to gout. People may have uric acid or technical know as hyperuricemia but have none of the gout symptom. These people later may develop acute gouty arthritis where joint are affected. 75 percent of people with gout will develop big toe in near future. The period between gout attack is termed as an interval or intercritical phase and finally some people get chronic tophaceous (with the tophi) gout.

Gout symptom should be taken seriously as it might lead to the formation of Kidney stones and causesevere back pain.