Gout Forum - Gout misdiagnosis ?

Conditions and Diseases > Gout Forum > Gout misdiagnosis ?

Gout is a common type of arthritis and accounts for about 5% of all cases of arthritic condition. But what is gout and what are the stages of this condition?...

Q: Gout misdiagnosis ?

asked by: lisajb on January 31st, 2008

New User

I have recently been diagnosed with gout but have my doubts that the diagnosis is correct.

I am 33 (female) and we do have a history of gout in the family. I do not eat most of the high purine foods and don't drink much (less than 1 unit per week)

I have extreme pain in a number of joints including fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulder and knees. My ery..... sedimentary rate was 25 (can't remember the first word but it is supposed to be <12).

The doctor has diagnosed gout due to the above result in my blood test but I am concerned that he didn't seem interested in asking any questions or checking my joints at all.

Should I seek a second opinion or is the basis of his diagnosis sound?

Replies(3)

PenguinsRus

replied on January 31st, 2008

Moderator

If you are worried about his diagnosis, I would ask for a second opinion. Even if his diagnosis is correct, at least you will have a piece of mind and be sure with a second opinion.

If you don't like the way your doctor is treating you or you don't think he's asking enough questions, you should try to bring up the types of questions you wish he would ask. For example, at the end if he didn't ask about your joints, try saying something like "would you mind asking me some questions about my joints or checking them out with a few other tests? they have been bothering me and I want to check out all possibilities before jumping to one conclusion"

gallego1968

replied on February 1st, 2008

New User

I agree get a 2nd opinion, to me it`s not gout but i`m no expert.

stanl

replied on February 1st, 2008

New User

is it gout? Maybe not.

Statistically, gout seems to affect about 1% of the population, and out of that group it's 10 to 1 men to women. So your chances are pretty low (0.1% of population).

Gout usually strikes one joint at a time, not several.

The sure way to find out is to draw some of the fluid from a joint and see under a microscope if there are uric acid crystals.

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