Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you about your medications, diet, alcohol use and about any family history of gout. Your doctor will examine you, and will look at your painful joints and search your skin for tophi.

Your doctor may use a sterile needle to remove a sample of fluid from your inflamed joint. This joint fluid will be examined in a laboratory for microscopic uric acid crystals, which confirm the diagnosis of gouty arthritis. Your doctor also may order blood tests to measure the level of uric acid in your blood. Depending on your history and symptoms, you may need additional blood tests and urine tests to check how well your kidneys are working.

Expected Duration

Without treatment, the pain of gouty arthritis usually lasts for several days, but it is most intense during the first 24 to 36 hours. The interval between attacks varies a lot. Some people have them every few weeks, while others go years between attacks. After several gout attacks, a joint may take longer to improve or stay inflamed and painful.