Calcium pyrophosphate arthritis is caused by deposition of calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystals.

Has both an acute and chronic form, acute CPP crystal arthiritis is an acute inflammatory arthirtis of one or more joints

• knee, wrist and shoulders most commonly affected

The chronic form of CPP arthritis mimics osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis and is associated with variable degrees of inflammation.

Risk factors:

• Family history
• Pseudogout is strongly associated with increasing age.

Patients who develop pseudogout at a younger age (e.g. < 60 years) usually have some underlying risk factor, such as:

• haemochromatosis
• Hypothyroidism
• hyperparathyroidism
• low magnesium, low phosphate

PC

*Presence of risk factors

• Painful joints
• Red and swollen joints
• Joint effusions - swelling, warmth, tenderness
• Involvement of joints not typically involved in OA (shoulders, wirsts, MCPJ) in a patient with OA suggests CPP arthiritis