Guide to gout: what to know about the painful condition

The pain is so bad that many patients end up in the emergency room. “Patients go from zero to 10-out-of-10 pain quickly,” Chu says. “The lightest touch or movement makes it worse. People

describe that even having a bed sheet on it is uncomfortable.” To diagnose gout, a doctor will do bloodwork to check your uric acid levels or take a fluid sample from the painful joint and

look for urate crystals. Gout attacks, called flares, usually last several days to a week. Anti-inflammatories, steroids or a medication called colchicine can ease pain during that time. HOW

TO PREVENT GOUT ATTACKS After the first attack, some patients may not experience a second one for five to 15 years, Singh says. But the third one will usually happen faster, within six

months to a year. Over time, the attacks become more and more frequent. Without treatment, gout attacks can cause stiffness, disabling joint pain, nodules that form under the skin called

tophi, and eventually, permanent bone or joint damage. Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, giving up alcohol and switching to a healthy diet may help prevent gout attacks. Drinking

low-fat milk and eating low-fat cheese can reduce uric acid levels. And your doctor may recommend avoiding beer, seafood, sugar-sweetened juices and red meat (especially organ meats) because

they are high in purines, a chemical that can incite a flare. Lifestyle changes alone are unlikely to combat or reverse gout, however. For most patients, the best way to prevent future gout

attacks is to take a uric-acid-lowering medication such as allopurinol or febuxostat, Singh says. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) recommends the medication for patients who have

had at least two flares in a year, or who have had one flare but also have high uric acid levels, certain kidney issues, tophi nodules or evidence of joint damage.