Efficacy of anakinra in acute hydroxyapatite calcification-induced joint pain: A retrospective study of 23 cases.

Objective: Hydroxyapatite (HA) crystal calcifications in or around the joint can induce acute flares with severe pain. A previous pilot study suggested that the interleukin-1β (IL-1β) inhibitor anakinra was effective. The goal of this observational study was to confirm these results in a larger set of patients and to report on the long-term follow-up.

A prospective evaluation of ultrasound as a diagnostic tool in acute microcrystalline arthritis.

Introduction: The performance of ultrasound (US) in the diagnosis of acute gouty (MSU) arthritis and calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) arthritis is not yet well defined. Most studies evaluated US as the basis for diagnosing crystal arthritis in already diagnosed cases of gout and few prospective studies have been performed.

Methods: One hundred nine consecutive patients who presented an acute arthritis of suspected microcrystalline arthritis were prospectively included.