Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain and swelling in your joints, usually as flares that last for a week or two, and then resolve. Gout flares often begin in your big toe or a lower limb.
Gout happens when high levels of urate build up in your body over a long period of time, which can then form needle-shaped crystals in and around the joint. This leads to inflammation and arthritis of the joint. When the body makes too much urate, or removes too little, urate levels build up in the body. However, many people with high levels of serum urate will not develop gout.
Areas of the body that can be affected by gout include:
- Joints.
- Bursae, cushion-like sacs between bones and other soft tissues.
- Tendon sheaths, membranes that surround tendons.
- Kidneys, because the high uric acid levels can lead to stones.
