Gout is an extremely painful and debilitating acute condition. Gout symptoms can be so painful that it can be even difficult to walk. Gout has been called the disease of kings because risk factors for gout are linked to a rich diet. It's linked to the consumption of meats including chicken as well as seafood. Consuming large amounts of protein rich foods puts you at risk for developing gout.
One of the primary gout symptoms is an intense pain in your joints. Gout usually is found in the joints of your big toe, but it can occur in any joint, including in your feet, knees, wrists, hands or even your ankles. It certainly isn't limited to your big toe and gout episodes that occur in other locations may be much more difficult to detect since it can even appear as a severe injury or strain to the joint. The intense pain can last up to 2 weeks but is usually a lot less if the gout is treated.
Gout tends to develop at night and it might even cause you to wake up in the middle of he night in pain. Your affected joints may feel very cool as the pain begins. This is what separates gout from other possible conditions.
Gout can be treated and many of the gout symptoms can be eliminated easily and quickly with medicines. Recurrent gout episodes can be eliminated with either medicine or diet changes. Because the pain can be so severe, it's important to seek medical treatment early on in a gout episode. You can put gout under control and prevent it from ever coming back with proper medical treatment of your gout symptoms.