[Destructive arthropathies associated with articular chondrocalcinosis. Clinical and metabolic study of 16 cases]

Sixteen cases of severe destructive arthropathy in elderly persons (13 females and 3 males) suffering from articular chondrocalcinosis are described. The knee is the most commonly affected joint, followed by the hips, shoulders, wrists, elbows and feet. One joint is destroyed in seven patients, 2 joints in five, 3 joints in one and 4 joints in three patients. In 13 subjects the onset of the arthropathy was insidious, whereas 2 had only a history of previous recurrent pseudogouty attacks. Associated endocrine, neurological or metabolic diseases were ruled out by clinical examination and laboratory tests. Repeated determinations of serum calcium and phosphorus, as well as of plasma immunoreactive parathyroid hormone, were within normal limits. The possibility of hyperparathyroidism was thus an unlikely explanation for this destructive arthropathy. Its etiopathogenesis remains unclear.