Understanding the Difference between Gout and Pseudo-gout
May 15, 2013 by Mayank.
Over the period of time, calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate (CPPD) crystals gets deposited in your body joints, that gives rise to the condition of pseudo-Gout. The high volume of uric acid in the body supports the rise of these crystals in the joints. These pseudo-Gout characteristics differ from the normal Gout in terms of the crystal formations. Pseudo-Gout is also often referred as pyrophosphate arthropathy. Finding out the distinction between the Gout and the pseudo-Gout is important to begin the treatment accordingly.
The key differences between the Gout and the pseudo-Gout can be summed up under the following headings:
Joints
Pseudo-Gout majorly affects the larger joints in the body such as the knee, elbow, hip, shoulders and wrists. Gout, on the other hand, usually affects the smaller joints in the body like the toes.
X-ray
In case of pseudo-Gout, the radio waves clearly show the calcification in the cartilage of the joints in the body. Chondrocalcinosis is the scientific term used for the calcification of the joint cartilage. On the other hand, there is no calcification in case of regular Gout.
Crystals
The calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate crystals, observed in case of the joints affected by the pseudo-Gout, are rhomboid is shape. The liquid floating in the joints is observed with the help of a microscope to come to this conclusion. Whereas the monosodium urate, found in case of the joints affected by Gout, are usually needle shaped or of the shape of a spindle.
Also, positive birefringence of crystals under polarized light are observed when the pseudo-Gout affected joints are observed under the microscope. On the other hand, the Gout crystals display negative birefringence of crystal when observed under the polarized light. Regular drugs like indomethacin and Ibuprofen are the common drugs which are used to reduce the pain suffered by the gout and pseudo gout patients. Another drug used in case of Gout is Colchicine. Colchicine helps to reduce the pain causing agents in the blood cells. In case you are affected by Pseudo-Gout and your bigger joints are affected by it, you can intake high dosage of Colchicine to alleviate pain.
Medication
While drugs like allopurinol, sulfinpyrazone and probenicid work well in case of regular Gout, these drugs are ineffective when it comes to pseudo-Gout. These drugs help in suppressing CPPD crystals in the joints and form urate crystals instead.
Making a distinction between Gout and Pseudo-Gout is quite a difficult task. It becomes all the more critical considering the fact that there are separate treatments for Gout and Pseudo-Gout. The differences mentioned above in the article are sure to help you out while you are trying to distinguish between Gout and Pseudo-Gout. Another point to be kept in mind is that both these conditions can still be mixed up with inflammatory arthritis and other similar diseases.
Filed under: Gout and Pseudogout.
Tags: gout and pseudo-gout, affected by gout, gout crystals, gout drugs, colchicine, dosage of colchicine, gout treatment.
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Is Gout An Early Sign of Heart Disease?
May 6, 2013 by Mayank.
Specifically
The thin line or a thick one in certain instances that draws the similarity between these two medical conditions lies in the manifestation of both and what is believed to cause them. All are attributed to the poor lifestyle choices of the victims, at least in the case of gout. While most heart conditions come due to a combination of both bad lifestyles and genetics, the case with gout is largely genetics, say about 60%. There though seems to be a similar line of comparison if you look at the causative characteristic.
Of Lifestyle Choices
Lifestyle related causes of gout come to about 12% of all diagnosed cases including those related to consuming large volumes of alcohol. Incidentally, the cause of heart disease in about 15% of the cases diagnosed in the Europe was also poor lifestyle related.
Blood as the Underlying Factor
The link between gout and heart disease can easily be linked to blood and substance deposition in the body. Most of heart related cases are due to constricted vessels that cause increase in blood pressure, the constriction is caused by deposits of fats and other food substances but studies do not completely rule out deposits of urea and allied substances. Whichever way, one could be a harbinger of the other.
Similarity in Symptoms
Most medical conditions associated with gout come to later manifest themselves in a majority of many victims diagnosed with heart conditions. Obesity, high blood pressure and abnormal lipid concentrations in particular are present in more than 63% of heart conditions diagnosed. They are also associated with 75% of all gout cases that get diagnosed. The link that gout could be a leading sign to heart disease is eminent here because the said conditions are present in gout victims much earlier in the disease development stage than they occur in heart disease related complications.
In Summary
The causes and manifestation of both gout and heart diseases are too closely related to actually pick them apart, however the similarities do not confirm if one condition is another’s harbinger. It will be gratifying to note though that both cases can be cured with early diagnosis. The only condition here is that aside from the timely diagnosis, it has to be accurate.
Filed under: New Study.
Tags: gout and heart disease, heart complications, inflammatory arthritis, cause of gout, cause of heart disease.
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