so what the heck is it?
I don't feel like looking it up.
...
The symptoms of pseudogout are very similar to gout, hence the common diagnostic name pseudogout, which means false gout.
Pseudogout: How It Forms
Like gout, pseudogout occurs when crystals form in, and irritate, one or more joints, causing pain and inflammation. This is called a crystal-associated ar
thritis.
Pseudogout is from calcium pyrophosphate crystals. They affect a lot of the same joints [as gout] but have different mechanisms, says Kevin Deane, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
Calcium pyrophosphate crystals may be collecting in the cartilage of your joint but wont cause symptoms until they leak into the synovial fluid, explains Hugh McGrath, MD, a clinical professor of rheumatology at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.
Pseudogout: Who Gets It
Most people who have pseudogout are over 60 years old and have joint damage from other conditions such as osteoar
thritis. Pseudogout occurs in between 10 percent and 15 percent of people over age 65, but the percentage increases with age. By some estimates, two out of
three people over 85 have pseudogout; calcium crystal build-up in their joints may be visible on X-ray, but they may never have symptoms of pseudogout.
Sorry!
