Which doctors are considered gout specialists?
Gout patients will need to see a number of specialists in their lifetime. For the first time that you experience a gout attack, you may be seeing a general practitioner first. They’ll prescribe you drugs to help relieve the pain but then after that, they may have you undergo a test to find out whether you have gout. Depending on your doctor, they may have you do any of these tests to ensure you get the right diagnosis: Joint fluid test – This is a test where the doctor will draw fluid from the affected joint using a needle. They will then examine the fluid under a microscope to check for urate crystals. Blood test – A blood test will measure the amount of uric acid and creatinine in your blood. This is not as accurate as other tests as some people may have elevated uric acid levels but never experience a gout attack while others have gout but don’t have high uric acid levels in their blood. X-ray imaging – This is when your doctor will use an X-ray to determine what caused the inflammation in your joint. Ultrasound – A musculoskeletal ultrasound is another test that may determine whether there is urate crystal build up in the affected joint. Dual energy CT scan – The most expensive test of all is the DUAL energy CT scan. This method may spot urate crystals in the joint even if it is not inflamed. After the initial diagnosis, your doctor may prescribe medicines to help with your gout. There are two types of gout medications: one is for treating gout attacks and the other is for preventing it. The medication for preventing gout is prescribed based on the gout patient’s situation as it can fall into two types: either their body makes too much uric acid or they cannot get rid of it efficiently. Treatments for gout attacks include NSAIDs, Colchicine and Corticosteroids. Meanwhile, medication for prevention include Allopurinol, Febuxostat, Probenecid, and Pegloticase. Your doctor may then refer you to a specialist who can give you advice on how to better manage your symptoms. This specialist is called a rheumatologist. The unfortunate thing is that not enough gout patients see this specialist. Sometimes, they never see one at all in their lifetime. Only when they’ve exhausted all their treatment options are, they referred to a rheumatologist, and oftentimes, it’s already too late and gout already As a gout patient, you should be aware with the options of specialists you can see. Sometimes, a general physician is not enough to help with your condition. A rheumatologist can get to the root cause of the problem and treat your gout more effectively. This is because they specialize in arthritis and rheumatic illnesses –and gout is a form of arthritis.
- More likely to get diagnosed via a synovial fluid analysis
- More likely to detect serum urate levels
- Less likely to need NSAIDs
- More likely to receive higher doses of colchicine
- More likely to receive interarticular cortisone injections
- More likely to recommend prophylaxis with allopurinol
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