Gout Diagnosis
To diagnose gout, the doctor will take a patient's medical
history, examine the affected joint and do a blood test. He or she will also
ask about:
Other symptoms
What medications the patient is taking
The patient's diet
How quickly and intensely the gout attack came on
Details of the attack the doctor is looking for: severity of pain, length of attack and joints affected.
What medications the patient is taking
The patient's diet
How quickly and intensely the gout attack came on
Details of the attack the doctor is looking for: severity of pain, length of attack and joints affected.
The doctor will need to rule out
other potential causes of joint pain and inflammation such as infection, injury
or another type of arthritis. He will take a blood test to measure the level of
uric acid in your blood. A high level of uric acid in your blood doesn’t
necessarily mean you have gout, just as a normal level doesn’t mean you don’t
have it. He may take an X-ray, ultrasound, CT or MRI to examine soft tissue and
bone. The doctor might also remove fluid from the affected joint and examine it
under a microscope for uric acid crystals. Finding uric acid crystals in the
joint fluid is the surest way to make a gout diagnosis.
By
Chandrasekharan
III B. Sc
Department of Biochemistry
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