Gout Symptoms - Could It Be Something Else?
Gout symptoms are similar to a few other conditions, although with slight differences. You could have Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis as Gout is really a type of arthritis. Your joint could have an infection, which also causes redness, swelling and pain but would need antibiotics treatment. By knowing the differences of symptoms in these conditions, you can better find a remedy. These more familiar types of arthritis affect the joints just as gout does.
Gout symptoms are similar to a few other conditions, although with slight differences. You could have Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis as Gout is really a type of arthritis. Your joint could have an infection, which also causes redness, swelling and pain but would need antibiotics treatment. By knowing the differences of symptoms in these conditions, you can better find a remedy. These more familiar types of arthritis affect the joints just as gout does.
The big toe is the most common joint affected by gout, called Podagra. Half of the people that get gout get it in their big toe but it can also attack your knees, fingers, wrists, or ankles.
Excruciating pain, tenderness, swelling, redness or even purplish color are common symptoms of gout. The main difference between gout and the other forms of arthritis are that gout symptoms come on very quickly. Gout usually starts it's attack at night mainly because your temperature is lower and you're fairly motionless. The pain can be so extreme that any weight, like the bed sheet, can cause terrible pain. This heightened pain usually lasts a few hours, then slowly starts going away.
Some people don't get the common symptoms like those above. Some develop nodules, called tophi, on their ears, hands, knees or elbows. These are painless deposits of uric acid crystals. You could also develop tophi in your kidneys, resulting in stones. High fever and fatigue are other signs. Fatigue is a common complaint in arthritis sufferers.
Testing by a doctor is the only way to know for sure if you have gout.
They can do a blood test for uric acid but researchers have found that a high level of uric acid in the blood, a condition known as hyperuricemia, is a classic sign of gout, only about half of the people with hyperuricemia actually get gout.
Your doctor can also test the fluid that our bodies use to clean our joints called Synovial fluid. If this fluid contains uric acid crystals then you have gout.
Gout symptoms are similar to a few other conditions, although with slight differences. You could have Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis as Gout is really a type of arthritis. Your joint could have an infection, which also causes redness, swelling and pain but would need antibiotics treatment. By knowing the differences of symptoms in these conditions, you can better find a remedy. These more familiar types of arthritis affect the joints just as gout does.
The big toe is the most common joint affected by gout, called Podagra. Half of the people that get gout get it in their big toe but it can also attack your knees, fingers, wrists, or ankles.
Excruciating pain, tenderness, swelling, redness or even purplish color are common symptoms of gout. The main difference between gout and the other forms of arthritis are that gout symptoms come on very quickly. Gout usually starts it's attack at night mainly because your temperature is lower and you're fairly motionless. The pain can be so extreme that any weight, like the bed sheet, can cause terrible pain. This heightened pain usually lasts a few hours, then slowly starts going away.
Some people don't get the common symptoms like those above. Some develop nodules, called tophi, on their ears, hands, knees or elbows. These are painless deposits of uric acid crystals. You could also develop tophi in your kidneys, resulting in stones. High fever and fatigue are other signs. Fatigue is a common complaint in arthritis sufferers.
Testing by a doctor is the only way to know for sure if you have gout.
They can do a blood test for uric acid but researchers have found that a high level of uric acid in the blood, a condition known as hyperuricemia, is a classic sign of gout, only about half of the people with hyperuricemia actually get gout.
Your doctor can also test the fluid that our bodies use to clean our joints called Synovial fluid. If this fluid contains uric acid crystals then you have gout.
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When symptoms begin there are natural gout remedies you can get at your grocery store that you can try to alleviate the pain. Gout diets and gout foods can help avoid future pains.