Gout and and calcium pyrophosphate crystal arthropathies: pathophysiology
Coiffier, G.; Albert, J.-D.
La Revue du Praticien 65(5): 666-667; 669-670
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 0035-2640 PMID: 26165104 Document Number: 679929
Microcrystalline arthropathies are consecutive to microcrystals formation and deposition within the joint. The formation of monosodium urate crystals depends on many physico-chemical factors: the concentration of uric acid, the temperature and pH. Beyond 60 mg/L (360 µmol/L), uric acid crystallizes in tissues. Chronic hyperuricemia is a necessary condition for the occurrence of gouty arthropathy. The mechanisms of hyperuricemia and inflammatory access and their therapeutic implications are described. Chondrocalcinosis is a radiographic entity characterized by deposits of calcium pyrophosphate crystals (CPP) within the fibrocartilage or hyalin cartilage. CPP arthropathies symptomatology is polymorphic and likely resemble in primary osteoarthritis, pseudo-gout acute attacks, or chronic mono-, oligo- or polyarthritis. Its pathophysiology remains uncompletely understood, although there is growing knowledge on the place of some actors involved in the pathogenesis of chondrocalcinosis, described in the article.