Often, doctors miss symptoms such as tingling, swollen hands or a painful knee. They expect the common painfully swollen big toe. I know from my own experience, and that of many on-line friends, that all joints can be affected and, for many people, the big toe is not always involved.

On the opposite side of the coin, some doctors diagnose gout when the condition is something different, like pseudogout or septic arthritis. This is serious, as gout treatments will do little to help these conditions.

The American College of Rheumatology website has a database of rheumatologists throughout the US and in many other countries.