Crystal Arthritis - Gout and Pseudogout

Crystal arthritis presents often as a monoarticular hot swollen joint. Hot swollen joints are a common presentation with a number of differential diagnoses. The most serious of these is septic arthritis, which should always be considered before making an alternative diagnosis. Hot swollen joints commonly have other underlying diagnoses, including crystal arthritis, reactive arthritis, haemarthrosis and a monoarticular presentation of polyarthritis. Here we review the crystal arthropathies Gout and Pseudogout (now termed Calcium pyrophosphate deposition or CPPD).