Healthbeauty123.com – If you are suffering from gout, you must be aware of the symptoms of this painful disease. It is more common to occur at night because the body temperature and dehydration levels at night are conducive to the crystallization of uric acid. These attacks are usually accompanied by clusters of pain. They will subside gradually within 36 hours. Your doctor will prescribe medications to reduce the pain. However, there are many other ways to reduce the risk of gout.
Symptoms of a Gout Attack Last 48 Hours to a Week
The symptoms of a gout attack may last for 48 hours to a week. If you do not see improvement within this timeframe, you should contact a doctor to discuss treatment options. However, it is not necessary to seek medical help for the first attack. Most people will recover spontaneously within a week or two, so you can avoid the risk of permanent damage to your joint. Gout attacks can also last for several weeks, but it is still important to consult a doctor if you develop pain or a redness in your joint.
The first gout attack usually affects only one joint, most commonly the big toe. Later, gout can spread to other joints, including the heels, insteps, elbows, and wrists. In the first attack, the affected joint is swollen and painful. However, in the second, the affected joint may be tender and swollen. Moreover, you may experience general malaise and fever.
What Are the Gout Attack Symptoms? Gout is inflammatory arthritis caused by excessive uric acid levels in the body. It is the result of an accumulation of uric acid in the body’s synovial fluid. In addition to causing pain in joints, gout can damage skin and soft tissues. A person with gout will experience pain, swelling, and sourness in these joints. In addition, the gout symptoms may occur following minor irritation of the area.
Anti-Inflammatory Drugs to Prevent Gout
Although the symptoms of gout may be frustrating, there are ways to manage them. Preventive medications should be taken as soon as possible, as waiting may prolong the inflammatory process and cause gout to progress. You can also consult your doctor if you have persistent symptoms of the disease. If the symptoms persist, call your doctor and have him or her prescribe a new medicine. In addition, you should keep an anti-inflammatory medicine at home.
The pain of a gout attack feels like a stabbed joint or broken bone. Typically, the pain is located at the base of the big toe. However, it can also affect the knees, ankles, heels, and mid-fee. Gout attacks tend to be worse at night and tend to gradually diminish after about 36 hours. A person with gout is at risk of having repeated attacks of the disease. Gout usually occurs in the big toe but it can also occur in the ankle, elbow, wrist, and fingers.
The GAIS (Gout Attack Intensity Score) is a measure of a gout patient’s pain during an attack. This symptom score is derived from a combination of three patient-reported outcome measures. Although it does not necessarily represent the intensity of gout symptoms, it seems to be a reliable instrument for assessing the severity of symptoms. Joint pain, tenderness, and swelling are taken into consideration when calculating the GAIS score. The study was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development and Rational Pharmacotherapy. The researchers declared no conflicts of interest.
Applying Ice to Relieve Pain and Swelling
The primary symptom of a gout attack is extreme joint pain, followed by swelling, tenderness, redness, and discoloration. The pain may be sudden and sharp and may cause difficulty walking or standing. Depending on where you experience the gout attack, it may last for days or weeks. A physician may prescribe medication or change your lifestyle to prevent further attacks. In the meantime, you can apply ice to relieve the pain and swelling.
Using the GAIS is helpful in evaluating gout attack severity. It has the advantage of combining individual scores from multiple rating scales, which reduces the contribution of measurement error and variability. Using multiple rating scales helps you detect changes over time and discriminate between non-responders and responders. There are several benefits to combining the information gathered by the GAIS. If you have gout, you must make sure you understand the symptoms of this disease.
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