Acute Gouty Arthritis: How Gout Patients Can Obtain Early Screening

Arthritis is a complex health condition that can plague older adults for a variety of reasons. If you are concerned about the complications you suffer from a diagnosis of gout, it is important to become familiar with the risks and symptoms of acute gouty arthritis '" a condition that can be debilitating if not well controlled.

Gout is a complication that involves pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. As a condition that is caused by high levels of uric acid in the body, a person who suffers from gout can develop permanent complications of the joints that can reduce mobility and lead to a decrease in quality of life. It is important, therefore, for patients with gout to aggressively manage their uric acid levels through diet, exercise, and medications.

If you live with gout, it is important to speak with your doctor about the signs of acute gouty arthritis. Because gout causes pain in the joints, many gout patients are not aware that they are developing arthritis in the joints until such time as the pain is so severe and no viable treatment can be reversed to improve overall function of the joints. Using a type of blood screening, commonly referred to as an arthritis panel, most gout patients can obtain the early indications of acute gouty arthritis development.

While arthritis medications may prove beneficial to patients who have a positive arthritis panel for acute gouty arthritis, most gout patients benefit best by using physical therapy and rehab services. So, when your gout complications seem to be aggressive, ask your physician for a physical therapy referral as this will help to mitigate the risk for arthritis setting in. Just like complications involving acute pyelonephritis '" a condition of the kidneys '" any complications involving the filtration of toxic substances from the body must be managed: uric acid is such a toxin.

Gout is a condition that can be effectively managed in patients but requires an aggressive approach to changes in daily living. Without proper management of the uric acid in the joints, arthritis can set in and lead to significant pain and debilitation. If you have a complication involving gout, always be sure to ask about physical therapy and arthritis panel screening to ensure you get the best possible early screening for acute gouty arthritis complications.

Sources: Getting Rid of Gout, by B. T. Emmerson