The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Gout includes the 37 symptoms listed below:
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The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Gout includes:
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Gout develops in four stages: asymptomatic, acute, intercritical, and chronic. In asymptomatic gout, serum urate levels rise but produce no symptoms. As the disease progresses, it may cause hypertension or nephrolithiasis, with severe back pain. The first acute attack strikes suddenly and peaks quickly. Although it generally involves only one or a few joints, this initial attack is extremely painful. Affected joints are hot, tender, inflamed, and appear dusky-red or cyanotic. The metatarsophalangeal joint of the great toe usually becomes inflamed first (podagra), followed by the instep, ankle, heel, knee, or wrist joints. Sometimes a low-grade fever is present. Mild acute attacks usually subside quickly but tend to recur at irregular intervals. Severe attacks may persist for days or weeks.
Intercritical periods are the symptom-free intervals between gout attacks. Most patients have a second attack within 6 months to 2 years, but in some the second attack doesn’t occur for 5 to 10 years. Delayed attacks are more common in untreated patients and tend to be longer and more severe than initial attacks. Such attacks are also polyarticular, invariably affecting joints in the feet and legs, and are sometimes accompanied by fever. A migratory attack sequentially strikes various joints and the Achilles tendon and is associated with either subdeltoid or olecranon bursitis.
Eventually, chronic polyarticular gout sets in. This final, unremitting stage of the disease is marked by persistent painful polyarthritis, with large, subcutaneous tophi in cartilage, synovial membranes, tendons, and soft tissue. Tophi form in fingers, hands, knees, feet, ulnar sides of the forearms, helix of the ear, Achilles tendons and, rarely, internal organs, such as the kidneys and myocardium. The skin over the tophus may ulcerate and release a chalky, white exudate or pus. Chronic inflammation and tophaceous deposits precipitate secondary joint degeneration, with eventual erosions, deformity, and disability. Kidney involvement, with associated tubular damage, leads to chronic renal dysfunction. Hypertension and albuminuria occur in some patients; urolithiasis is common. (See Gouty deposits.)
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Neurogenic arthropathy begins insidiously with swelling, warmth, decreased mobility, and instability in a single joint or in many joints. It can progress to deformity. The first clue to vertebral neuroarthropathy, which progresses to gross spinal deformity, may be nothing more than a mild, persistent backache. Characteristically, pain is minimal despite obvious deformity.
The specific joint affected varies according to the underlying cause. Diabetes usually attacks the joints and bones of the feet; tabes dorsalis attacks the large weight-bearing joints, such as the knee, hip, ankle, or lumbar and dorsal vertebrae (Charcot spine); syringomyelia causes occurrence in the shoulder, elbow, or cervical intervertebral joint. Neurogenic arthropathy caused by intra-articular injection of corticosteroids usually develops in the hip or knee joint.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Gout develops in four stages: asymptomatic, acute, intercritical, and chronic.
In asymptomatic gout, serum urate levels rise but produce no symptoms.
As the disease progresses, it may cause hypertension or nephrolithiasis, with severe back pain. The first acute attack strikes suddenly and peaks quickly. Although it generally involves only one or a few joints, this initial attack is extremely painful. Affected joints appear hot, tender, inflamed, dusky red, or cyanotic.
The metatarsophalangeal joint of the great toe usually becomes inflamed first (podagra), followed by the instep, ankle, heel, knee, or wrist joints. A low-grade fever is sometimes present. Mild acute attacks commonly subside quickly but recur at irregular intervals. Severe attacks may persist for days or weeks.
Symptom-free intervals between gout attacks are called intercritical periods. Most patients have a second attack within 6 months to 2 years, but in some, the second attack is delayed for 5 to 10 years. Delayed attacks are more common in those who are untreated, and they last longer and are more severe than initial attacks.
Such attacks are also polyarticular, invariably affecting joints in the feet and legs, and are sometimes accompanied by fever. A migratory attack sequentially strikes various joints and the Achilles tendon and is associated with either subdeltoid or olecranon bursitis.
Eventually, chronic polyarticular gout sets in. This final, unremitting stage of the disease (chronic or tophaceous gout) is marked by persistent painful polyarthritis with large, subcutaneous tophi in cartilage, synovial membranes, tendons, and soft tissue.
Tophi form in the fingers, hands, knees, feet, ulnar sides of the forearms, helix of the ear, Achilles tendons and, rarely, internal organs, such as the kidneys and myocardium.
The skin over the tophus may ulcerate and release a chalky, white exudate or pus. Chronic inflammation and tophaceous deposits precipitate secondary joint degeneration, with eventual erosions, deformity, and disability. Kidney involvement with associated tubular damage leads to chronic renal dysfunction. Hypertension and albuminuria occur in some patients; urolithiasis is common.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Neurogenic arthropathy begins insidiously with swelling, warmth, increased mobility, and instability in a single joint or in many joints. It can progress to deformity. The first clue to vertebral neuroarthropathy, which progresses to gross spinal deformity, may be nothing more than a mild, persistent backache. Characteristically, pain is minimal despite obvious deformity.
The specific joint that’s affected varies. Diabetes usually attacks the joints and bones of the feet; tabes dorsalis attacks the large weight-bearing joints, such as the knee, hip, ankle, or lumbar and dorsal vertebrae (Charcot spine); syringomyelia, the shoulder, elbow, or cervical intervertebral joint. Neurogenic arthropathy related to intra-articular injection of a corticosteroid usually develops in the hip or knee joint.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
When considering symptoms of Gout, it is also important to consider Gout as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Gout may cause:
- (Source - Diseases Database)
These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Gout. This signs and symptoms information for Gout has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Gout signs or Gout symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Gout may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Gout symptoms.
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