You wake up in the middle of the night, and your big toe feels as if it's on fire. It's hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of a blanket on it seems intolerable. These problems could indicate an acute attack of gout — or gouty arthritis — a form of arthritis that's characterized by sudden, severe attacks of pain, redness and tenderness in joints.
Gout is a complex disorder that can affect anyone. Men are more likely to get gout than women are, but women become increasingly susceptible to gout after menopause.
Gout is treatable, and there are ways to keep gout from recurring.

Signs and Symptoms of a Gout Attack:
A gout attack usually appears suddenly and may include:

• Joint pain: Gout usually affects the large joint of your big toe which may feel hot, swollen and so tender that even the weight of a blanket on it seems intolerable.  but can occur in other locations such as your feet, ankles, knees, hands and wrists. The pain typically lasts five to 10 days and then stops. The discomfort subsides gradually over one to two weeks, leaving the joint apparently normal and pain-free.
• Inflammation and redness. The affected joint or joints become swollen, tender and red.

Causes
The cause of gout is an inflammation in your joint resulting from an accumulation of urate crystals. Uric acid is a waste product formed from the breakdown of purines. These are substances found naturally in your body as well as in certain foods, especially organ meats — such as liver, brains, kidney and sweetbreads — and anchovies, herring, asparagus and mushrooms.
Normally, uric acid dissolves in your blood and passes through your kidneys into your urine. But sometimes your body either produces too much or excretes too little of this acid. In that case, uric acid can build up, forming sharp, needle-like crystals, uric acid, in a joint or surrounding tissue that cause pain, inflammation and swelling.