Familial Pyrophosphate Arthropathy: Occurrence and Crystal Identification

Abstract

Hereditary pyrophosphate arthropathy has been observed in three Swedish families and in a few other Caucasian populations. The inheritance is most probably autosomal dominant with a variable penetrance. The most severe cases have been found in homozygotes among isolates of immigrants in Slovakia and Chile. Studies on genetic and etio-pathogenetic factors in hereditary pyrophosphate arthropathy, and the utilization of new diagnostic techniques for crystal identification, are important approaches towards a further understanding of the disease.