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Gout: the symptoms, getting a diagnosis, treatment, and living with it
For anyone whose big toe or another joint suddenly hurts, swells and turns red, anyone just told they have gout, anyone whose flares keep coming back, and the people beside them. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, part of the NIH) says gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain and swelling in the joints, usually as flares that last a week or two, and that with early diagnosis, treatment and lifestyle changes it is one of the most controllable forms of arthritis. This page passes on, by name, what NIAMS says: the symptoms and the stages, who gets it and what raises the chance, how it is diagnosed and who treats it, the kinds of medicine for a flare and for lowering urate, and what you can do: food, drink, weight, and a flare at home. It puts first our own rule for when a hot, swollen joint may be something else, builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
A word with a dotted line under it, like this, opens its official definition, quoted from a U.S. government glossary.
Right now
- A red, hot, swollen joint with a fever or chills, or you feel very sick: see a doctor the same day, or go to urgent care or an emergency room (ours). Only a provider can tell a gout flare from something else, such as an infection in the joint. NIAMS says a few conditions can mimic gout.
- Chest pain or pressure: call 911 (ours). Do not drive yourself. NIAMS lists heart attack among the conditions that can come with gout. See our page on a heart attack.
- Thinking about suicide: call or text 988, any time.
More help
- Related: Arthritis · Kidney stones · Kidney disease · High blood pressure · Drinking or drugs · Pain, bones and joints: find the right page.
- Day to day: Symptom diary · My medicines list.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · When medicine costs too much · Get ready for your appointment.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Pain, a bone or a joint, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for back pain, arthritis, pain that lasts, headaches, broken bones and sickle cell, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 15, 2026 on NIAMS’s Gout page, both parts: Overview, Symptoms, & Causes and Diagnosis, Treatment, & Steps to Take (NIH, last reviewed December 2023). Ours: seeing a doctor the same day for a red, hot, swollen joint with a fever or chills, or if you feel very sick; seeing a doctor soon for a first flare, a flare that is not getting better, or a lump that is red, painful or leaking; calling 911 for chest pain or pressure; calling or texting 988 for thoughts of suicide; not stopping or changing a medicine on your own, low-dose aspirin and water pills included; keeping on with a urate medicine when you feel fine unless your provider says otherwise; asking a pharmacist before adding anything; asking what a test or medicine would change and what it costs; and the order of the steps. What we left out: any brand or dose, any food list beyond NIAMS’s own, home remedies, and NIAMS’s research pages. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.