Gout

The first sign of a gout attack is often a sudden, warm and throbbing pain of the affected joint. Within a few hours, this can rapidly escalate into excruciating pain, accompanied by swelling and redness of the joint. During this period, the skin around the joint will also be very tender and sensitive, setting off extreme pain at the slightest touch. Patients with an acute attack find walking very difficult and painful.

In the chronic stage, patients may have persistent pain, reduced function of the affected joint and occasionally tophi around the joints. Many patients with chronic gout have impaired kidney function or kidney failure, and hypertension.