However, because of the risk of adverse effects from these drugs, their use is probably not justified unless the amount of uric acid in the urine is very large. For such people, treatment with allopurinol may prevent kidney stones. The disorder usually occurs in older people and affects men and women equally. Ultimately, it causes degeneration of the affected joints. The cause of pseudogout is unknown.
Symptoms vary widely.
Some people have attacks of painful arthritis, usually in the knees, wrists, or other relatively large joints. Other people have lingering, chronic pain and stiffness in joints of the arms and legs, which doctors may confuse with rheumatoid arthritis. Acute attacks are usually less severe than those in gout. Some people have no pain between attacks, and some have no pain at any time despite large deposits of crystals. Diagnosis and Treatment Pseudogout is often confused with other joint disorders, especially gout.