| Arthritis | Gout | |
| Age of occurrence: | Can occur at any time | Mostly in men over 35 years and females after menopause. |
| Speed of onset: | Quickly, over weeks to several months. | Sudden onset. |
| Sensation in joints: | Swollen and stiff. | Red, hot, swollen and very painful. |
| Affected joints: | Occurrence in small and large joints, hands, wrists, elbows, balls of feet. | Joint of big toe is most commonly affected. Occurrence also on ankle, heel, knee, wrist, fingers, elbow. |
| Morning stiffness: | Can last an hour or longer. | None. |
| Symptoms affecting whole body: | Lack of energy, feeling of being ill and frequent fatigue. | Mild fever and chills along with the pain. |
| Additional symptoms: | Weight loss, fever, feeling of being sick. | Tophi may form. (Tophi are large deposits of uric acid crystals which can also appear as yellowish-whitish chalky nodules.) |
Gout makes for approx. 5% of all cases of arthritis. While rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammation caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissue, the cause for Gout is uric acid buildups and deposits in the joints and tissues.
Hi george, I really liked your approach on the subject of "Difference between Gout and Rheumatoid Arthritis"
Very informative and straight forward. Using the comparison chart instead of an article made it really easy to understand.
Rich from Massachusetts