How to tell when a gout attack is starting

I’ve suffered with gout for the last 12 years.

One thing I’ve tried to get better at is paying attention to the telltale signs that an attack is about to start so that I can attempt to reduce the pain as early as possible/avoid it by changing my behaviours.

Combining my experience with stories from fellow gout sufferers, I’ve collated a list of common signs that a gout attack is about to start.

1. An itch on the affected joint.

I’ve noticed that 24 hours before a gout attack starts I get an itch on the affected joint.

I used to think this was a strange coincidence and that it was just me who experienced this, however, after speaking with other gout sufferers it turns out that “the joint itch” 24 hours before an attack is very common.

The only issue I have with this early gout attack indicator is that it only gives you around 24 hours to do something about it, by which time there’s not a lot you can do.

For me, I start to increase my water intake and make sure that I can restrict movement of the affected joint the following day, making arrangements to work from home, etc.

2. Stiffness in the affected joint.

I often get some stiffness in my fingers around a week before any sort of gout attack occurs.

It doesn’t always mean that the attack will be in my fingers and it can often occur elsewhere in my body, such as my foot.

I now have this strange habit of slowly opening and closing my hands every morning to check if I’m on the cusp of an attack happening.

If they feel stiffer than usual then I up my water intake and reduce my high purine foods. Sounds strange but it works for me.

3. Redness, tingling and swelling in the affected joint.

If you get to this point then you’re likely at the very start of an attack or just before one.

This is a very common telltale sign of a gout attack occurring that’s confirmed by many medical journals and communities of gout sufferers.

Whenever I get to this stage in a gout attack I do the normal activities I’ve mentioned in previous points but I also limit my movements and try to prevent anything from touching the affected joint.

This usually involves a lot of lying down and asking for help from others to prevent myself from making the pain that’ll follow any worse.

4. Increased uric acid levels.

As you may well know, gout attacks occur when your body is unable to effectively dispose of purines which lead to an increase uric acid in your blood.

Whilst doctors often send you to get a uric acid blood test to confirm whether or not your symptoms are in fact gout, they tend to be few and far between (to see if medication has helped reduce uric acid levels for example).

Speaking to fellow gout sufferers who use home uric acid tests, they check their uric acid levels more regularly to see if it's elevated to the point that could indicate an attack is likely to happen.

This isn’t something that’s been recommended to me by my doctor but it's interesting to see what other gout sufferers have been using to identify when an attack could be on its way.

I hope this information helps fellow gout sufferers understand what the common signals are that notify you an attack is about to start.

I’ll keep this blog post up to date as I learn more telltale signs from my experience and the experience of others.