Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease: a frequent finding in patients with long-standing erosive gout

Abstract

Objective: To characterize patients with both monosodium urate (MSU) and calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystals in their synovial fluid (SF).

Method: Forty-nine gout patients with acute arthritis were included. Those patients with MSU crystals only in their SF were compared to those patients with both MSU and CPP crystals in their SF.

Results: A total of 36 out of 49 patients (73.5%) had only MSU crystals, whereas 13 out of 49 (26.5%) had both MSU and CPP crystals in their SF. Co-deposition of CPP crystals was associated with long-standing gout disease (p = 0.022), kidney dysfunction (p = 0.024), and erosive arthritis (p = 0.049), but not with age.

Conclusion: Long-standing gout may be a risk factor for CPP deposition disease, and the frequency of CPP co-deposition may be higher than expected.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our patients for their participation in the gout cohort, and the study nurses and residents for collecting data during the enrolment process.

The study was supported by Science Pool, Medicine University Hospital Basel, the Hedwig Widmer Foundation Zurich, and the Free Academic Society Basel.

CT Berger was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) [PZ00P3-148000].

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Freie Akademische Gesellschaft Basel;Hedwig Widmer Stiftung Zürich;Wissenschaftspool Medizin Universität Basel;Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung [PZ00P3-148000 (Christoph Berger)];