Pseudogout causes pain and stiffness in some joints and is a form of arthritis. Some of the other symptoms of pseudogout are tenderness, and redness, in your joints. It affects only one joint at a time, but it is possible that multiple joints can be affected at one time. The joints that are most commonly affected by pseudogout are the knee or the wrist but the shoulders, hips, and knuckles can also suffer from pseudogout. As opposed to the cause of gout which is a build up of uric acid, the cause of pseudogout is calcium phosphate crystals deposits in the cartilage. These deposits are released into the joint fluid which brings on an attack of pseudogout. There is no known cause of the crystal deposits and they cannot be eliminated completely. Hence, all the treatments of this condition only attempt to decrease the pain and swelling. It is also important to note that most symptoms of pseudogout disappear within a few days even without treatment.
The prescribed treatment depends on several factors, including the medical history, the age of the patient, other medications that the patient is on, and the severity of the attack. Your doctor may prescribe medication such as painkillers, indomethacin and naproxen, which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. While they work to decrease inflammation, some treatments may aggravate the joint degeneration that is a part of pseudogout. To combat this, you may also choose to undergo surgery replace damaged joints.
answered by G M