Gout symptoms are a type of rheumatoid arthritis, normally first experienced as a severe attack in the joint of the big toe.
Often this episode will happen overnight, with the stricken joint becoming red, swollen and very painful without prior indication that there is anything wrong.
Gout symptoms are the effect of deposits of uric acid crystals inside the joints.
Uric acid is the normal by-product of the metabolism of purines, which are found in several food items, such as legumes, beans, peas, lentils, anchovies, shellfish, sardines and food extracts like marmite and vegemite.
If the body is not able to metabolise the urate swiftly enough, the excess acid will crystallize.
These needle-shaped crystals gather in the joints and bring about an auto-immune effect.
Because of this a gout episode will come on apparently suddenly, despite the fact that absolutely nothing specific has happened to trigger it.
The constant slow accumulation of the crystals in your joint will reach a 'tipping point', after which your body's response is intense.
The joint will become swollen, turn reddish, be extremely painful and oftentimes itchy.
The pain sensation will generally abate within a couple of days and the symptoms completely disappear.
Yet the root cause hasn't improved; there is still an accumulation of uric acid crystals in the afflicted joint.
Now that the initial episode has taken place further attacks can be expected, even after a lengthy period of being free of goutsymptoms.
Subsequent attacks often become more frequent, stay longer and begin to have an effect on more limbs.
Once recurrent episodes begin it is an indicator that it's going to get worse, unless some of the underlying causes are resolved.
Sooner or later the urate deposits will start to cause long lasting damage to the cartilage, lead to increased tightness as well as prevent the recovery which would normally occur between attacks.
You will need to decrease the probability of continuing attacks, as the implications can be serious and the damage can be everlasting.
There are lots of different factors which need to be tackled including restricting meals full of purines, cutting back on alcohol, reducing your weight, and eating particular foods that are shown to decrease the levels of urate accumulation in the metabolism.
It's vital to tackle these fundamental issues before the gout symptoms worsen.
Which is what will occur if no modifications are made.