Questions Patients With Gout May Want to Ask Their Doctors
1. What is gout?
2. Why is it so painful?
3. What causes it?
4. Is gout hereditary?
5. What does it mean to have a high level of uric acid?
6. How is it diagnosed?
7. How can I keep it under control?
8. What is a tophus?
9. How do you treat an acute gout attack?
10. What is the long-term treatment plan?
11. Will I have to take gout medicine for life?
12. Should I stop drinking?
13. Does gout increase my risk for any other conditions?
14. Are there alternative therapies for treating gout?
15. How can I stay healthy?
Questions Your Doctor May Ask You
1. Do you have pain in your joints, and if so, which joints are most affected?
2. How long do the pain and swelling last?
3. Does your ankle or big toe ever swell up?
4. Have you taken over-the-counter medications to relieve the pain? If so, which kinds?
5. Do you take aspirin?
6. Are you on high blood pressure medication, like diuretics?
7. Tell me about your diet. How often do you eat organ meats, red meat, seafood, or legumes?
8. Do you drink alcoholic beverages? How much and how often?
9. Have you tried to lose weight?
References
Gout — National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) National Institutes of Health.
Gout — The Arthritis Foundation. http://www.arthritis.org
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