Big toe not biggest culprit in 'painful' gout flare ups

The painful rheumatic condition gout is often associated with the big toe, however, researchers have found that patients whose gout first involved other joints, like knee or elbow are at highest risk of further flare-ups.

In the study, researchers followed 46 gout patients for a mean of roughly 13 years.

They found that even though people usually associate gout with the big toe, the patients at highest risk for subsequent bouts with gout pain had gout originate in another joint, says co-author Eric Matteson, M.D., rheumatology chair at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.