If uric acid levels remain raised for long periods of time, or there are frequent recurrent attacks of gout, deposits of uric acid salts may form around the affected joint and appear on the skin as chalky coloured nodules. These are called tophi and may also appear in other areas of the body such as the ears. Recurrent severe attacks of gout and the development of tophi can cause permanent damage to the joints.
Surgery may be required to restore joint function. This may involve joint replacement surgery. Damage to the delicate filters within the kidneys and the development of kidney stones can also occur if uric acid levels in the blood remain raised for long periods of time.
This in turn can impair kidney function. To prevent the complications of gout it is important to carefully follow the treatment instructions given by a doctor to deal with gout attacks quickly, and prevent them from recurring.
Arthritis New Zealand Free phone: Email: info arthritis. Dalbeth N, et al. Gout in Aotearoa New Zealand: are we going to ignore this for another 3 years? Mayo Clinic Gout Web Page. Gout Web page.
Wellington: New Zealand Ministry of Health. St Louis, MI: Elsevier. Winnard D, et al. National prevalence of gout derived from administrative health data in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Rheumatology Oxford. Medical Library Topics. Home Medical library Gout Southern Cross Medical Library The purpose of the Southern Cross Medical Library is to provide information of a general nature to help you better understand certain medical conditions. Factors that increase the uric acid level in your body include:. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Gout is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone.
Gout Open pop-up dialog box Close. Gout Gout causes intense pain and swelling around one or more joints. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Gout. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed Dec. See a GP for treatment to help during an attack and to stop further attacks. An attack of gout usually lasts 5 to 7 days, then gets better. It may not cause lasting damage to joints if you get treatment immediately.
These symptoms could mean you have an infection inside your joint and need urgent medical help. They may refer you to see a specialist rheumatologist and arrange a blood test and scan. Sometimes a thin needle is used to take a sample of fluid from inside the affected joint, to test it. The blood test will find out how much of a chemical called uric acid there is in your blood. This ongoing resurgence can slowly harm tissue in the inflammation area and can be extremely painful. Hypertension , cardiovascular conditions, and obesity are risk factors for gout.
Hyperuricemia , where there is too much uric acid in the body, is the main cause of gout. People will typically treat the condition with prescription medication. These drugs can help treat the symptoms of gout attacks, prevent future flares, and reduce the risk of complications such as kidney stones and tophi. Tophi refers to when acid crystals form masses of white growths that develop around the affected areas. Common medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids, another anti-inflammatory.
These reduce swelling and pain in the areas affected by gout. Excessive uric acid levels are typically due to the overproduction of uric acid or issues with the kidneys in excreting this substance adequately.
Without treatment, an acute gout attack will be at its worst between 12 and 24 hours after it began. A person can expect to recover within 1—2 weeks without treatment, but there may be significant pain during this period. Gout can often be challenging to diagnose, as its symptoms are similar to those of other conditions. While hyperuricemia occurs in most people who develop gout, it may not be present during a flare-up. As a result, a person does not need to have hyperuricemia for a diagnosis.
To assess this, a rheumatologist will carry out a blood test and may also extract fluid from an affected joint for analysis. In addition, they can search for urate crystals around joints or within growths using an ultrasound scan. X-rays cannot detect gout, but healthcare professionals may use them to rule out other causes. As joint infections can also cause similar symptoms to gout, doctors can look for bacteria when carrying out a joint fluid test to rule out a bacterial cause.
A person can have elevated uric acid levels without any outward symptoms. While individuals do not need treatment at this stage, high uric acid levels in the blood can cause silent tissue damage.
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