Pseudogout
Posted by GoutPal in Gout Related, tags: pseudogout, sudo gout, _pseudo-gout, _sudogout
A question from a reader today prompted me to take another look at my pseudogout page.
Everything was OK – just a bit missing about causes and potential treatments.
Pseudogout Causes
Though we know that pseudogout is caused by a buildup of calcium joints, we do not know all the reasons for this buildup.
Risks increase with age. 3% of people in their 60s get it, rising to 50% in their 90s. Pseudogout affects men and women equally. In general, their may be a hereditary risk factor. Dietary calcium does not appear to affect calcium deposits.
Specific factors that can trigger pseudogout are:
- Excessive calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia)
- Excess iron storage (hemochromatosis)
- low magnesium levels in blood
- overactive parathyroid gland
- severely underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
Pseudogout Treatments
I have said that there are no known treatments for pseudogout, other than pain relief. The pain relief options are similar to those listed on my gout pain relief page. However, if pseudogout is caused by one of the underlying conditions I listed above, then treating that can slow down the development of pseudogout.
As with gout, it is important to consult a rheumatologist if you have, or suspect pseudogout. You can find a local rheumatologist on the College of Rheumatology website. Their listing of rheumatologists covers the USA and most other countries.
If you have experience of pseudogout, please tell me in the comment box below, or on my Contact Form.
Entries (RSS)
I am 49 year young female with pseudogout. First diagnosis in 1991 in my right knee.
In 2004 them scoped and removed both lateral and medial meniscus after a severe attack. Only bits remained. 2 plus years later and I am not back to normal and unable to manage with out some pain meds.
Deb,
That’s terrible. I used to think nothing could be worse than gout, but it sounds like pseudogout is.
My sympathies lie with you.
I’m a 61 year old male in excellent physical condition. Diagnosed with pseudogout after flareups in both knees recently. Knees feel normal after treatment with cortisone and several months of recuperation. Can’t take the recommended drug, colchicine without stomach and lower GI upsets. I face a dilemma: strenuous physical activity brought on the original attacks, and I cannot risk a reoccurance. My work and recreational activities involve lots of physical activity. I’m too young and healthy to give these up. Can I manage the disease the same way diabetics do, by injecting this stuff before I engage in physical activity? I gather that no one has either thought of this or tried it, and I admit it seems pretty extreme, but I’m willing to try anything within reason. Thanks
(Addition to my comments) My understanding from doctors I have seen is that colchicine dissolves the crystals involved in pseudo gout and prevents flareups
Hi Steve,
Cortisone is an anti-inflammatory drug, similar to the same substance that is produced naturally in the body, but more powerful.
There is some concern that over-use can impair tendons and cartilage, though there does not appear to be any definitive scientific view on this. Any injection carries a slight risk of causing nerve or blood vessel damage.
I think there may have been some thought of using cortisone for sports injuries, but I have no real knowledge of this.
Any sports injury specialists out there care to comment?
Your second point about colchicine is incorrect. Colchicine is an anti-inflammatory drug. It has no effect on dissolving pseudo gout crystals. As far as I am aware, there is no medication available for dissolving the calcium crystals that cause pseudogout. If the cause of pseudo gout can be determined, then tackling that can have a beneficial effect on pseudogout.
Please remember that I have no medical qualifications. You should consult a rheumatologist to discuss treatment options.
My 28 yr old daughter has just been diagnoised with sudo gout. After orthoscopic surgery 3 weeks ago on her right knee she returned to the ER in EXTREME pain, leg was swollen and hard, Dr.drained of 100 cm of yellow junk and it was sent to pathology, it showed crystals which they believe is sudo gout, also it showed strep, have you ever heard of such? we have been told she will need a knee replacement
I remember one of my clients suffered from gout. He couldn’t work and had to rest for 3 days. This client of mine is only in his early 40’s. Thanks for the relevant links you have provided. I will share those information with him.
Hi, you mentioned that pseudogout typically affects larger joints but is it possible that it could affect the big toe?
My mom has been experiencing spouts of pain in her right big toe. She had a blood test done, and the doctor said that she didn’t have gout because she had normal levels of uric acid.
Unfortunately a huge number of doctors in general practice simply do not understand gout, which is why I almost always recommend seeing a rheumatologist.
When gout crystals form, they remove uric acid from the blood, so uric acid levels are frequently within the normal range during a gout attack.
Pseudo gout can affect the toe joints, so it cannot be ruled out, but the only way to be certain is to have an arthrocentesis test.
Try my find a rheumatologist page.
I just posted elsewhere on this site and just now came across the above message. I am confused now about my gout. Is it possible it’s pseudogout? I had hypercalcemia as a result of an overactive parathyroid gland until December 2009 when the surgeon removed the gland. Although it’s impossible to know when this condition began, hyperparathyroidism commonly goes undetected for many years. I probably had it when I had my first two “gout” attacks seven and two years ago. Now I’ve just had a third attack, three months after the removal of the gland. Is it possible that you can have a pseudogout attack that long after the hypercalcemia had been normalized? Could there have been a build-up of calcium in the toe but trigged by something three months after the calcium levels returned to normal? Of course it’s not ruled out that there is not another affected parathyroid gland. Also, all attacks have been in the big toe joints. I just find it curious that with two of the five above-listed triggers, my system was well set up for pseudogout, but it appears that I had gout instead?
I have recently been diagnosed with pseudo gout(Knee). Has anybody any experience with alternative Treatment (herbs, supplements, etc.).
Has your doctor indicated any underlying cause for pseudogout? There is not much that you can do for sudo gout directly, other than anti-inflammatory preparations. Something like flax seed oil may be helpful.
I have recently been diagnosed with psuedogout. I am a very active 51 year female. I currently take calcium and vitamin c supplements and am wondering if it would be advisable to stop taking them.
Pseudo gout is extremely hard to treat. However, it is often the result of underlying conditions. If these conditions can be treated, then pseudogout usually clears-up, or at least does not get worse.
So you need to get tests and advice from a rheumatologist to seek out the cause, and try to fix it.
A common cause is excess iron, and vitamin C will make this problem worse. Another cause is problems with the parathyroid gland. Some of these problems are helped with calcium, but it really needs expert examination and analysis to make sure you are not making the situation worse.