Left big toe inflamed with gout If you've never had gout before, you might not understand how easy it is for doctors to diagnose gout. Your doctor can do a test for the presence of uric acid crystals in your joint fluid (by taking a sample of the fluid in the affected joint), but most likely he will recognize the unique symptoms to diagnose that you do indeed have gout. Other symptoms of gout include: Multiple attacks of acute arthritis Arthritis attacks that develop over the course of an extremely quick time (e.g., over the span of 12-24 hours with inflamed, painful, red, and hot joints) Arthritis attack that affects only one joint; most often affecting the toe, ankle, or knee. The first attack of gout most often affects the joints of the big toe. In fact, gout is thought to affect the big toe of 75% of all patients during the course of the disease. Additionally, the affects of gout can be found in other joints such as the elbows, fingers, heels, instep, and wrists. Tophaceous Gout in left ring finger joint Gout in the left wrist MCP joint - right hand is normal for comparison If you experience any of the above signs o...