Will gout disappear on its own?

A gout episode usually lasts about 3 days with treatment and up to 14 days without treatment. If left untreated, you're more likely to have new episodes more often, and this can lead to worsening pain and even joint damage. An acute gout attack usually peaks between 12 and 24 hours after onset, and then begins to resolve slowly even without treatment. It takes approximately 7 to 14 days to fully recover from a gout attack (without treatment).

There is no cure for gout, but it can be controlled quite well with medication. Proper treatment can help you completely avoid attacks and long-term joint damage. Gout attacks completely go away on their own after some time, even without any treatment, with a gradual improvement. If you do nothing about it, for the time being, it will remain latent and will relapse again when there is a slight alteration in the uric acid level.

Symptoms don't improve after 48 hours or don't go away after about a week. If you don't start to feel better after a few days, call your doctor. They may suggest a different treatment. Most gout attacks go away on their own within several weeks, even without treatment.

Serum uric acid concentrations may support the diagnosis of gout, but the presence of hyperuricemia or normal uric acid concentrations alone do not confirm or rule out the diagnosis of gout, since uric acid levels can often be normal during an acute gout attack. While most patients will have high levels of uric acid in their blood for many years before having their first gout attack, treatment is currently not recommended during this period due to the absence of clinical signs or symptoms of gout. Most people with gout don't overconsume alcoholic beverages or foods rich in purines, and even for those who do, eliminating these elements is rarely enough on its own to improve gout symptoms. Still, it's estimated that 9 out of 10 people with gout will eventually have a gout attack on their big toe, most likely due to the pressure they experience when walking and standing.

In fact, the hereditary form of gout usually affects men younger than 30, and this form of gout tends to be serious. Saying that gout attacks can go away on their own has clinical meaning and is true in its sense, but saying that gout can go away on its own has no clinical meaning. It is important to note that gout and infection can coexist in the same joint (they are not mutually exclusive) and the possibility of sending joint fluid for culture should be considered even in patients with an established history of gout if they are at risk of infection.