Gout information
for patients and families.
16 guides covering diagnosis, gout attacks, uric acid, medicines, nutrition, kidney health, and remote care. Each guide lists its clinical sources.
Clinical review Every article lists its sources and last update. The reviewing physician will be identified before patient enrollment begins.
What gout is and why attacks return
How urate crystals cause gout attacks and why treating pain is different from lowering uric acid.
Gout flare or urgent joint problem?
Warning signs that a hot, swollen joint needs prompt in-person evaluation.
Uric acid targets: what your result means
How clinicians use serum urate results to set a treatment target and decide when to repeat bloodwork.
Eating with gout: what to limit and what to keep
How food and alcohol affect gout, and where nutrition fits alongside medical treatment.
Gout and kidney health
How kidney function and kidney stones affect uric acid levels and medication safety.
Home uric-acid testing: uses and limits
What prescription finger-stick urate meters can monitor and when laboratory testing is still needed.
Gout symptoms and affected joints
Common signs of a gout attack, the joints it can affect, and when another diagnosis must be considered.
How gout is diagnosed
How clinicians use medical history, examination, bloodwork, joint-fluid testing, and imaging.
Gout, pseudogout, and similar conditions
How gout differs from pseudogout, infection, injury, and other causes of joint inflammation.
Gout medicines: attacks and long-term treatment
The difference between medicines used during an attack and medicines used to lower uric acid.
High uric acid without gout: what it means
Why an elevated result and a gout diagnosis are not the same thing.
Why gout attacks keep returning
Common reasons for repeat attacks, including uric acid above target, missed treatment, and an uncertain diagnosis.
Tophi and advanced gout
What visible urate deposits can mean and why they deserve medical evaluation rather than home removal.
Gout, uric acid, and kidney stones
How the conditions can overlap and which urinary symptoms should not wait.
Alcohol and gout
How beer, liquor, and drinking patterns can affect uric acid and gout-attack risk.
Prepare for a gout telehealth visit
What to prepare before a remote gout visit, including medications, photographs, records, and recent lab results.