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Diagnosis & Stages of Gout
Diagnosis of Gout
Gout can occasionally be difficult for physicians to diagnose. The symptoms mimic several other conditions. To confirm a diagnosis of gout, physicians typically draw fluid from a person's inflamed joint and view it under a microscope. If a patient has gout, the physician will almost always see urate crystals. The absence of crystals does not completely rule out a diagnosis of gout.
Gout is associated with several other serious health conditions, including high blood pressure and heart disease, so it is important that the diagnosis be prompt.
The good news is that gout is manageable. Gout symptoms can be controlled with guidance from your physician and with a basic understanding of:
- Risk factors and triggers;
- Gout treatments and
- Necessary adjustments to diet and lifestyle.
Through proper monitoring and treatment, gout can often be completely controlled, and both the painful episodes and long-term joint damage can be avoided.
Stages of Gout
STAGE 1: Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia
Elevated levels of uric acid are present in the body, but no symptoms of gout are experienced in this stage. Most patients will have elevated levels of uric acid for years before their first attack. The risk of an attack increases as the uric acid level increases.
Treatment: Usually not necessary during this stage.
STAGE 2: Acute Gout Attack
Years of sustained hyperuricemia, elevated levels of uric acid, may lead to small deposits of sodium urate crystals in and around the joint space. Following certain triggering events, these deposits release crystals into the joint space, causing an acute attack.
Treatment: It is important to consult a physician during an acute gout attack to obtain an accurate diagnosis and relieve the pain.
STAGE 3: Intercritical Gout
During this stage, a patient who has experienced a prior gout attack has no gout symptoms and their joints are functioning normally. However, it is important to consider disease management even when the pain is absent. Unfortunately, if ignored, this phase is frequently followed by continued attacks of gout.
Treatment: Consult with a physician to develop a strategy to prevent future gout attacks and the pain associated with them.
STAGE 4: Chronic Tophaceous Gout
This is the most disabling stage of gout. Uric acid crystals have been depositing within and around the joint space resulting in an ongoing destructive inflammatory process, or chronic arthritis. For some, the disease has caused deformity and destruction of the bone and cartilage. There may be damage to the kidneys during this stage as well.
Treatment: With proper medical attention and treatment, most patients will not progress to this advanced stage.
