Which department should I go to for suspected gout

If you experience joint swelling and pain, such as pain in the toes, swelling and pain in the joints, etc., this may be caused by gout and you should go to the hospital for examination in time. If you have gout, you should go to the rheumatology department or the endocrinology department for treatment. Gout is also known as a disease of affluence. People often say that this disease is caused by eating. Indeed, gout has an important relationship with diet.

Suspect gout when a single joint is swollen or painful

Gout is a crystalline arthritis caused by purine metabolism disorder and decreased uric acid excretion. Not only can it cause joint damage, it can also affect the kidneys and lead to renal insufficiency.

Gout is divided into primary gout and secondary gout. Primary gout is caused by enzyme defects in the body and is related to genetics. 10% to 20% of gout patients have a family history. Secondary gout can be caused by blood diseases (such as hemolytic anemia, polycythemia, and chemotherapy in cancer patients), kidney diseases (such as drugs or poisoning that cause renal dysfunction, inhibition of uric acid excretion, etc.) and drugs (such as diuretics, etc.).

If obese middle-aged or elderly men suddenly experience recurrent redness, swelling, heat and severe pain in a single joint such as a toe joint, ankle joint or finger joint, which can be relieved on its own and there are no symptoms during the intervals, gouty arthritis should be considered first. If hyperuricemia is present and the patient responds well to colchicine treatment, gout can be diagnosed. The presence of urate crystals in synovial fluid or synovial biopsy can further help confirm the diagnosis.

Which department should I go to if I have suspected gout?

Patients should see a rheumatologist if they experience an acute attack of gouty arthritis. If only the blood uric acid level is elevated, you can go to the rheumatology or endocrinology department for treatment. If the joint is already damaged, fistula or ulcer has formed, you need to go to the orthopedics and surgery department for surgical treatment. Judging from the current clinical situation, most hospitals treat gout patients mainly in the rheumatology department, supplemented by the endocrinology department. If the hospital does not have a rheumatology department, patients can go directly to the endocrinology department for treatment.

Gouty arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and osteoarthritis are the four major types of arthritis seen in rheumatology departments, and each of these types of arthritis is different. Among them, gouty arthritis has many inducing factors, such as eating, catching cold, etc., and it comes and goes quickly, and it is prone to occur in a single joint. Redness, swelling, heat and pain are the most obvious among the four. Its auxiliary diagnostic criterion is elevated blood uric acid. Rheumatoid arthritis often occurs in small joints and is symmetrical. Blood tests may reveal a positive rheumatoid factor. Ankylosing spondylitis often occurs in large axial joints, and HLA-B27 is often positive. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease in the elderly that often occurs in weight-bearing joints. The indicators of laboratory tests are almost all normal.

Is it necessary to treat high uric acid levels if a physical examination reveals that

Hyperuricemia is one of the biochemical manifestations of gout, but not all gout patients have high blood uric acid levels, and patients with hyperuricemia do not necessarily experience gout attacks.

If elevated blood uric acid levels are found during a physical examination, it means that excess uric acid is produced in the body that cannot be cleared by the kidneys. At this time, you should take measures such as controlling your diet, avoiding trauma and mental stress, and maintaining an ideal weight. At the same time, you can take baking soda tablets or soda water orally to lower uric acid levels and avoid excessive urate deposition, which can cause gout attacks.