Gout Symptoms

Gout can be a very painful form of arthritis. Gout occurs when uric acid is built up in the joints of the body. The exact cause of gout is unknown, but it does affect many people and it may even run in families. There are a number of different reasons why uric acid can build up in the body causing gout, so it is important to know what symptoms are commonly associated with this painful form of arthritis.

There are a lot of different symptoms associated with gout, and the symptoms can vary from person to person. The most common symptoms associated with gout are warmth, pain, swelling, and extreme tenderness developing in a joint affected by gout. The most common place for this symptom to occur would be in the big toe joint.

Pain and discomfort is another sign of gout. This can come about in a number of different ways. For some people the pain can become so intense that when they are sleeping even the pressure from a sheet on the big toe produces excruciating pain. For some people the pain develops in the middle of the night, and then disappears over the next few days before returning again.

These painful gout attacks often will subside. When they do subside there are often skin problems that occur next to the infected joint. This can include things like itchy and peeling skin. Symptoms can also include things like red and purplish skin around the joint which looks like it has been infected. Most people do notice that the skin around the joint has been changed in some way.

Gout can also effect the movement of a joint. This often occurs in the big toe and gout causes a limited range of motion. Some people will also experience fever as well. For some people, they will not experience gout as a series of painful attacks, but rather as a less painful but always persistent discomfort. This is sometimes called chronic gout and is more common in older adults who confuse this with a form of arthritis.

Will the big toe is the most common area affected, there are other places on the body that can be affected by gout as well. This would include the ankles, feet, knees, wrists, elbows, and fingers. These areas have many of the same symptoms and can cause great discomfort as well.