Gout

Gout is a type of arthritis in which small crystals form inside and around the joints. It causes sudden attacks of severe pain and swelling.

It’s estimated that between one and two in every 100 people in the UK are affected by gout.

The condition mainly affects men over 30 and women after the menopause. Overall, gout is more common in men than women.

Gout can be extremely painful and debilitating, but treatments are available to help relieve the symptoms and prevent further attacks.

Symptoms

Any joint can be affected by gout, but it usually affects joints towards the ends of the limbs, such as the toes, ankles, knees and fingers.

Signs and symptoms of gout include:

severe pain in one or more joints the joint feeling hot and very tender swelling in and around the affected joint red, shiny skin over the affected joint  

Symptoms develop rapidly over a few hours and typically last three to 10 days. After this time the pain should pass and the joint should return to normal.

Almost everyone with gout will experience further attacks at some point, usually within a year.

Read more about the symptoms of gout.


The main symptom of gout is a sudden attack of severe pain in one or more joints, typically your big toe.

Other symptoms can include:

the joint feeling hot and very tender, to the point of being unable to bear anything touching it swelling in and around the affected joint red, shiny skin over the affected joint peeling, itchy and flaky skin as the swelling goes down

The intense pain can make getting around difficult. Even the light pressure of a bed cover or blanket can be unbearable.


Attacks of gout tend to:

occur at night, although they can happen at any time develop quickly over a few hours last between three and 10 days – after this time, the affected joint should start to return to normal, but the problem can persist if treatment isn’t started early come back – you may experience attacks every few months or years become more frequent over time if not treated

It’s difficult to predict how often attacks will occur and when exactly they will happen.