Gout Symptoms
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"Get Out the Gout"
Attacks of gout usually develop very quickly. The first attack often occurs at night.
You may go to bed feeling fine, but then wake up in the middle of the night with extreme
joint pain.
During an episode your Gout Symptoms may include::
- sudden, severe joint pain
- joint swelling
- shiny red or purple skin around the joint
- extreme tenderness in the joint area--the area may be so tender that even the touch of a
bed sheet may cause severe pain.
Gout Symptoms can be triggered by:
- drinking too much alcohol
- eating too much of the wrong foods
- surgery
- a sudden, severe illness
- crash diets
- injury to a joint
- chemotherapy
Progression of Gout and its Symptoms
At first, episodes usually are few and far between. They last only a week or so, and
then everything seems to go back to normal, with no symptoms between episodes. If the
disease is not controlled by medication, attacks may occur more often and may last longer.
Repeated episodes can damage the affected joint(s). If your joints have been damaged, you
may have joint stiffness and limited motion after an attack.
Gout Symptoms generally occurs in three phases:
- A sudden onset of joint pain and swelling (often in the big toe) that goes away after
five to 10 days (or longer, in some instances).
- A period of time when there are no symptoms at all, followed by other acute severe
attacks.
- After a number of years, if not treated, the development of persistent swelling,
stiffness, and mild to moderate pain in one or more joints after numerous acute (generally
severe, but short-lived) episodes.
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