Blood test warns of a gout attack

An instAnt fingerprick blood test for gout sufferers may help to prevent attacks of the painful condition, according to a trial at Hôpitaux de Paris.

the test, which takes the sample using a monitor called Humasensplus, measures levels of uric acid — gout is caused by high levels of this, which then form crystals in the joints, triggering swelling and severe pain.

Monitoring a patient’s levels of uric acid is a key part of controlling and treating the illness, but it is currently done in a laboratory and results can take time to come back.

Around two in every 100 people in the UK have gout.