If you have gout you can attest to how painful gout flares can be. Even the diagnosis of gout can be painful because the only definitive way to diagnose the disease is to stick a needle into the inflamed joint, take a sample of the fluid, and look at it under the microscope to find the characteristic gout crystals. However, a new technique being developed at the Vancouver General Hospital may prove to be an accurate and noninvasive way to diagnose gout. By using a CT scanner with two x-ray tubes that can simultaneously produce different energies, researchers were able to detect the presence of gout crystals even in patients without symptoms. This is certainly a very promising and welcomed accomplishment. Gout currently affects over 2 million people in the US.
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Tags: CT scan, gout, sodium urate, Vancouver General Hospital
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
May 29th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Good Day To You All!
Gout solution: Eat Cherries or Drink Black Cherry Juice.
I have been doing that for 7 years and haven’t had a flair up since.
If you do not have a problem with Cherries [Fruit or Juice], please indulge in them.
You will be saving your liver & kidneys from medication.
It is a healthier way to go!
May 29th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Gee i wish my rheumatologist would have ordered this procedure with me, instead he went in my lateral foot (which was extremely painful and tender to touch) with, just that, a needle and drew out fluid to check for gout, which i tested negative for. It left me with a 1/4 ince deep laceration, profuse bleeding, severe pain, inability to bear weight, lost time from work, etc. To this day i am STILL in severe pain!