Diagnosis of gout

Your GP will ask about your symptoms and examine you. He or she will also ask you about your medical history and that of your family. Your GP will usually take a sample of your blood, which will be sent to a laboratory to measure the levels of uric acid. Your blood sample may also be tested to find out whether there may be another reason for your symptoms. 

Your GP may refer you to a rheumatologist (a doctor specialising in conditions that affect the joints) for further tests.

Your doctor may remove some fluid from your swollen joint with a needle. This usually causes no more discomfort than a blood test. If uric acid crystals can be seen in the fluid under a microscope, you have gout. If calcium crystals are seen, you have a similar condition called pseudogout. The crystals formed when you have pseudogout are made of a calcium salt called calcium pyrophosphate. See our frequently asked questions for more information. 

You may need to have an X-ray of your joint in order to rule out other conditions and to find out if any damage has occurred, but this isn’t used to diagnose gout.