Acute gouty arthritis (gout)

Alternative names:

gout - acute; gouty arthritis - acute

Symptoms:

• joint pain
  • begins suddenly
  • in one or more joints (hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain, foot pain, shoulder pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, hand pain, or pain in other joints)
  • the great toe, knee, or ankle joint are most often affected

• joint swelling of any of the above joints
• stiffness of the joint
• the joint may be warm and red
• fever may be present
• skin lump over a joint, may have chalky material draining out of the lump
• finger pad abnormalities

Signs and tests:

Physical examination of the joints shows acute arthritis.

• Synovial fluid analysis shows uric acid crystals.
• Uric acid (blood test) may be elevated above 7.5 mg/dl.
• Joint X-rays may be normal.

This disease may also alter the results of the following tests:

• uric acid, urine
• synovial biopsy
• blood differential