We know that the causes of pseudogout involve a build up of calcium pyrophosphate crystals in joints but we don’t know exactly why or how this build up occurs.
The risk factors that are known are:
Age. Age is seen as one of the major causes of pseudogout. The development of pseudogout is rare for those under 60 years of age. Above 60 the incidence of pseudogout rises with increased age. High calcium pyrophosphate crystals are found in about 3% of those aged between 60 and 70, rising to 50% in 90 plus year olds.
Trauma. Trauma of various kinds, such as injury to a joint, surgery or infection, is one of the leading causes of pseudogout. One theory is that trauma causes the calcium phosphate crystals accumulated in joint cartilage to be released, which triggers a reaction from the immune system resulting in swelling and inflammation.
Genetics. It is thought that genetics is one of the causes of pseudogout. However, there is debate as to whether genetics is a direct cause or genetic issues are commonly present when other causes are present. Nevertheless, an inherited mutation to a gene that helps regulate metabolism is thought to lead to a higher risk of developing pseudogout symptoms, earlier in life than the general population.
Medical condition. There’s a higher risk of developing pseudogout if certain other medical conditions are present. However, the medical conditions that are often present when pseudogout is diagnosed may not all be direct causes of pseudogout but may merely appear in tandem when the condition for or actual underlying causes of pseudogout are present. The medical conditions whose presence indicates a higher risk of deveoping pseudogout include:
- Hyperparathyroidism, high calcium levels
- Hypomagnesemia, abnormally low magnesium levels.
- Hemochromatosis, a hereditary dysfunction leading to excess iron around the joints
- Thyroid disease, including hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
- Acromegaly, excess growth hormone causing body tissues to grow larger with age.
- Wilson’s disease, a hereditary dysfunction leading to excessive storage of copper.
Lifestyle factors, which are controllable, such as body weight, fitness and diet, can be worked on for a positive response when gout is present, but have not had a provable positive effect on pseudogout and are, on the whole, not thought to be causes of pseudogout.