If you are experiencing what you believe to be an attack of gout, then the first thing you will want to do is get assistance in managing the pain.
Gout, like any other health condition, can easily be determined by tests conducted your physician. Depending on what the results of the tests reveal, a diagnosis can be made and the proper treatment can be administered.
Gout is an extremely painful condition. It tends to present itself first in the big toe and is indicated by intense pain, swelling and redness.
If it is the first attack, the person may not even know what the problem is, as it seems to come out of nowhere. As the pain becomes more unbearable, a trip to the doctor's office or the emergency room will most likely be the next move for proper testing and diagnosis.
How is gout diagnosed?
The first thing done is a check of your family history, including the chronic conditions you or your family have suffered from. The doctor needs to be aware of any diseases that you may be genetically predisposed to.
Once the doctor has evaluated your overall health condition, and the specific reason why you are there, he will order testing to help him come to the correct diagnosis.
Synovial fluid assists in the provision of nutrients and the cushioning and lubrication of cartilage. This test is looking for urate crystsal to be present in this fluid whick would indicate gout.
Types of gout:
Acute Gouty Arthritis:
Onset is abrupt and intensely painful, with signs and symptoms of inflammation, swelling, and low-grade fever. The affected area will be warm to the touch and redness will be present. The attack peaks in approximately two days and may last up to ten days if not treated.
Interval Gout:
This attack occurs after symptoms of the initial attack are gone. Treatment to prevent gout will not normally begin unless a second attack has taken place.
Tophaceous Gout:
Tophi are nodular masses made up of urate crystals, that usually appear after the initial gout attack. Tophi are further complicated by:
Pain, soft tissue damage and deformity, destruction of the affected joint, nerve compression.
Undiagnosed hyperuricemia may bring the intervals between attacks closer together until they disappear. This may result in constant joint inflammation, joint deformity, and tophaceous deposits of urate crystals in the soft tissues surrounding the joint. This can also be coupled with periods of acute arthritis.
Author Resource:-
Jared Wright is the webmaster of Clivir.com - the free learning community site. You can find more gout related articles such as gout foot symptoms pictures and gout elbow symptoms pictures by following the links.
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