Gout examination method, regular examination to prevent gout attacks

Gout is a disease that is common in middle-aged and elderly people. When gout attacks, patients will feel redness and swelling in the joints, accompanied by pain. Among the methods of preventing gout, regular examination is an important one. So what methods can be used to detect gout?

1: Synovial fluid examination is a common method for checking gout. Experts point out that synovial fluid examination can be performed for swelling of larger joints such as ankles and knees in the acute stage. Birefringent needle-shaped sodium urate crystals can be seen in the white blood cells. Synovial fluid analysis can also help with diagnosis. The white blood cell count is generally between 100 and 7,000, and can reach 50,000, mainly segmented granulocytes.

1: Routine blood test and erythrocyte sedimentation rate are common examination methods, which are very effective for examining acute gout. Experts point out that the patient's peripheral blood white blood cell count is elevated, usually (10-20)×109/L, and rarely exceeds 20×109/L. Neutrophil counts increased accordingly. People with decreased renal function may have mild to moderate anemia.

1: In the case of a purine-free diet and without taking drugs that affect uric acid excretion, the total uric acid content in the urine of a normal male adult within 24 hours does not exceed 3.54mmol/(600mg/24h). 90% of primary gout patients have uric acid excretion less than 3.54mmol/24h. Therefore, normal uric acid excretion cannot rule out gout, but uric acid levels greater than 750 mg/24 h indicate excessive uric acid production, especially non-renal secondary gout. When blood uric acid levels increase, uric acid levels also increase significantly.

1: When acute gouty arthritis occurs, fluid may accumulate in the swollen joint cavity. Extracting synovial fluid with an injection needle for examination is of extremely important diagnostic significance. Even in the asymptomatic period, sodium urate crystals can be found in many joints. Urate crystals can be found in more than 95% of synovial fluid in acute gouty arthritis.

1: Checking for gout requires routine differential examination methods. Experts point out that if a gout patient has a fever, blood culture should be done to rule out infection. Joint cavity puncture and fluid extraction for culture can not only differentiate it from other arthritis, but also determine whether it is gout.

Gout and observation of the disease evolution are indispensable methods, especially the discovery of urate crystals, which are the key to improving the quality of gout diagnosis.