Doctor Discussion Guide

Keeping track of your gout symptoms

Uncontrolled gout occurs when a person experiences ongoing symptoms and high uric acid levels, even while taking gout medication. Monitoring these symptoms can help guide conversations with your doctor. Use the questions below to help talk to your doctor about symptoms and keep track of what you are experiencing between visits.

* Fields marked with an asterisk are required.

Questions to get the conversation started

1. How many gout flares have you had in the last 12 months? A gout flare occurs when your body reacts to the buildup of uric acid crystals with heat, redness, swelling, and pain. If you felt a flare coming on and took medication to control it, you should count that as well.*

2. When was your last gout flare?*

3. Select the areas where you have gout flares:*

4. When you have a gout flare, how many days are you affected?*

5. How severe are your gout flares?*

6. How often do gout symptoms cause you to change your plans?*

7. How often do you experience pain related to your gout?*

8. Have your gout symptoms (like flares or tophi) become more frequent or painful?*

Other notes:

Submit

Your Responses

Please note that this information is not medical advice.

Use your responses as a guide to help you share your experiences with your doctor or gout specialist. Because gout can get worse over time, talking with a doctor and managing your symptoms early on is important to help prevent further damage.

Download and print the Doctor Discussion Guide or email a PDF copy to yourself.