Gout Pal Interactive

Sudo Gout, Pseudo Gout, or Pseudogout?

I was discussing gout with a friend yesterday, when we got onto the topic of pseudo gout. I have written about this many times before, but never known whether I should call it psuedo gout or pseudogout.

My friend mentioned that he had searched the Internet for information about pseudo gout after his doctor told him he might be suffering from it, but couldn’t find any. I expressed surprise, and mentioned that I had written about it on my gout information site and my gout discussion site, and both these are regularly found by search engines. I sat at his computer, and showed my pseudo gout postings here on Gout Pal Interactive. Then the penny dropped - with the complexities of our language, and the fact that he had never seen the term written down, he was looking for sudo gout.

If you are struggling to find information about this gout like condition, try psuedogout or pseudo gout (not sudo gout or 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.