Gout, a disease caused by purine metabolism disorders and uric acid excretion disorders, is gradually becoming a major health problem affecting more and more people. This article will introduce the six signs of gout, especially the two common symptoms of cold feet at night and sore feet when walking, to help you better understand and prevent this disease.
1. Cold feet at night
Cold feet at night, although a condition that many people may experience, should be highly vigilant if it occurs frequently, especially when accompanied by other gout symptoms. Gout patients have cold feet at night, which may be related to the decline of personal immunity and the disharmony of qi and blood. Urate crystals are deposited in the joints, causing poor local blood circulation and cold hands and feet. Therefore, cold feet at night can be a sign before a gout attack.
2. Pain in the feet when walking
Foot pain when walking, especially in the joints such as toes and ankles, is one of the typical manifestations of a gout attack. Patients with gout often feel severe joint pain at night or early in the morning, which is unbearable like a knife cut, and is accompanied by symptoms such as redness, swelling, and fever.
This is because urate crystals are deposited in tissues such as synovial membranes and bursae, triggering an acute inflammatory response. Walking pain should be seen as an important sign of a gout attack.
3. Pain in a single joint
In the early stages of gout, it often presents with a single joint pain that occurs suddenly at night. This pain often comes without warning and usually occurs in the joints such as the toes, ankles, and knees. Unlike general joint pain, joint pain caused by gout is usually very severe and unbearable.
This is because urate crystals are deposited within the joint, which irritates the synovial membrane of the joint and triggers acute inflammation. If you often feel sudden sharp pain in a joint at night or early in the morning, it could be a sign of gout.
Fourth, the joints are red, swollen, hot and painful
When gout attacks, the affected joints are not only painful, but also red, swollen, and feverish. The skin is tight, shiny, and noticeably tender. This is because urate crystals cause an acute inflammatory reaction in the joint, causing the local blood circulation of the joint to speed up and the blood vessels to dilate, resulting in redness, swelling, heat and pain. If you notice that your joints are experiencing these symptoms suddenly, it is likely that gout is on the rise.
5. Crystalluria
Crystallusuria is a typical symptom of gout. Gout causes urate crystals to be deposited in the urine, causing the urine to become cloudy and even crystallized. If you notice that your urine suddenly becomes cloudy, or crystals appear, then you should take it seriously, which could be a sign of gout.
Crystallusuria is usually accompanied by pain and erythema. If you have these symptoms at the same time, then it is most likely caused by gout. At this time, you should seek medical attention in time for timely diagnosis and treatment.
6. Recurrent seizures
Gout is characterized by recurrent attacks. Once gout, patients may experience multiple attacks. After each episode, symptoms may gradually worsen and the interval between episodes may gradually decrease. Long-term recurrent attacks can lead to joint deformities and dysfunction, which can seriously affect the quality of life of patients. Therefore, if you find that symptoms such as joint pain recur and gradually worsen, you should be highly alert for the possibility of gout.
Gout expert Zhang Zhuo reminded
In addition to the above symptoms, some patients may also have some systemic symptoms before or during the attack of gout. These symptoms include fever, fatigue, and slow heartbeat. The appearance of these symptoms may be related to the systemic inflammatory response caused by gout. If you find yourself experiencing these symptoms around the time of a gout attack, then you should seek medical attention promptly so that you can get professional diagnosis and treatment.