Gout Test Kit

You should test for gout if you do not have an obvious injury or infection in your joints, and you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Sharp pain in the joints, particularly wrists, ankles, fingers, and toes
• Swollen, hot and red skin on the joints
• Swelling and pain lasting 3 to 10 days

You should wait at least 4 weeks after having any symptoms of gout before using a test kit. This will make sure that the results are accurate.

You can also do the test if you’ve not had symptoms but are concerned that you might have gout.

Many people are nervous about taking a blood test at home, but it’s simple and easy to use. There are instructions here, and they’re also contained in the test kit that you’ll be sent.

If you make a mistake when you’re using the test kit, we can send you a new one, free of charge.

Using a home test kit

Your test kit contains three lancets, which are used to prick the skin so you can collect a sample of blood. The test kit also includes swabs, a plaster, a collection tube, a wallet, and a prepaid envelope. When you test, you’ll also need a clean tissue handy.

You can take the sample at any time of day.

• Wash your hands with warm, soapy water. The test is easier to do if your fingers are warm
• Dry your hands
• Use one of the swabs to wipe one of your fingertips. It’s a good idea to use the middle or ring finger of the hand you do not write with
• Wait until the fingertip is dry
• Twist and remove the purple stick from a lancet. Place it in the middle of your fingertip, and press down the purple button at the end
• A small drop of blood should start to form on your fingertip. If this does not work on the first go, you can try again with the other 2 other lancets
• Use the tissue to wipe the first drop of blood away, then pick up the collection tube
• Point your finger downwards and squeeze the sides of your fingertip to get another drop of blood into the collection tube
• Keep doing this until you fill the tube to the top line. If you cannot get enough blood to fill the tube, use the extra lancets on another finger, repeating the steps above
• Once you’ve finished, use the plaster to cover your fingertip
• Put the lid on the collection tube and screw it on tightly
• Write your details on the sticky label. This is an important step as the lab need these details to be able to do your test
• Put the label on the collection tube and put the tube into the wallet. Then put the wallet into the prepaid envelope
• Post the sample to our lab
• Your results, along with advice from our doctors, will be in your account 2 to 3 days after your sample arrives at the lab

There are a number of ways to treat gout. After being diagnosed by a doctor face to face, most people use tablets like ibuprofen or colchicine to reduce swelling and pain.