Gout Misdiagnosed: Pseudo-gout
By www.menhealthonline.biz
The joints swell. The pain comes. Movement is limited. Yes, you have gout. Or do you?
Studies have shown that there is more than one explanation for the mind-deadening agony in the joints, and it is not always due to the high uric acid levels in the blood. This article will give you a run through of what gout is, and what is not.
Gout vs. Pseudo-gout: When gout is not gout
Gout is caused by the crystallization of monosodium urate, or uric acid, in the joints and soft tissues of the body. Generally, this is caused by elevated uric acid levels in the bloodstream and by the body's incapacity to dispose of the excess of uric acid. This acid comes primarily from the food we eat.
In contrast, pseudo-gout, which has essentially the same symptoms (inflammation and pain in the joints), is also caused by the crystallization of chemicals in the soft tissues, but by a completely different chemical. The culprit- calcium pyrophosphate. Unlike in the case of true gout, the calcification of the joints does not cause any pain. What does cause the pain however is the body's natural attempt to destroy the calcium crystals in the joints. Called neutrophils, these microscopic soldiers do destroy the crystals, but in doing so they also destroy the live