ABSTRACT
Crystal deposition diseases are common although most are managed in primary care or by medical intervention. Gout is a crystal deposition disease caused by deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints and other tissues, secondary to hyperuricaemia. Gout is associated with a number of comorbidities including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes. Acute gout can only be diagnosed with certainty by identifying urate crystals in synovial fluid, bursa or aspirate of tophus. Anti-inflammatory agents are the drug of choice for the treatment of acute gout without comorbid diseases. Basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystal deposition disease may occur in and around joints as a result of local tissue damage – strained or torn ligaments, tendon attrition and cartilage damage or degeneration. A destructive form of osteoarthritis (OA) affecting the shoulder or hip has been described in elderly individuals, associated with rotator cuff defects and aggregates of BCP in the fluid.
