If you have any of the following symptoms then there is a good chance you have gout:-

1. The most common form of gout starts as what is known as podagra usually. This refers to pain in the big toe joint when it is inflamed from the build up of uric acid.

2. No one who hasn't had a gout attack start at bedtime can believe how much pain can come just from the brushing of your partners foot against the infected joint, normally your big toe.

3. Many people who suffer from gout find that when an attack occurs the discomfort that they feel comes on very rapidly and may last for a few hours during the night. But then the discomfort that they are feeling will slowly begin to ease once more over the following 2 to 7 days.

4. After your attack of gout has started to subside you may find that the skin around the inflamed joint will feel itchy and it may even begin to peel.

As well as the symptoms mentioned above there are others that a person may also suffer from if they have a gout attack. But it is important to note however that not everyone who has gout will suffer from these symptoms and the severity of them will vary also.

Just because your pain is in your elbow or wrist it doesn't mean it isn't gout. While gout usually attacks your big toe joint there are many instances of people who have had no trouble at all with their toes but have had immense pain in other joints.

If you have recently had surgery then there is a increased chance that you will have a gout attack. These after surgery attacks seem to be short in length, although just as painful as any other attack, it can also be treated as a side effect of the surgery rather than actual gout.

If you or someone you know starts to have any of the symptoms we have mentioned here it is vital that they go to see a DR. While the initial pain may dissipate after a few days it will come back , and may be much worse the next time, unless they take proper medication.