What clinical syndromes are associated with BCP crystals?
BCP crystals are associated with a wide variety of clinical manifestations, including inflammation of joints and periarticular structures, osteoarthritis-like lesions, nerve compression, and rapidly destructive inflammatory arthritis.
- Calcific periarthritis.
- • Calcific deposits in tendons (chronic calcific tendinitis), bursae, joint capsules.
- • Acute calcific periarthritis.
- BCP arthropathy.
- • Acute synovitis.
- • Destructive arthropathy (as seen in Milwaukee shoulder).
- • Osteoarthritis with presence of BCP crystals (controversial, see Question 14).
- Subcutaneous/soft tissue calcifications.
- • Connective tissue diseases: systemic sclerosis, dermatomyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease.
- • Metastatic calcification: chronic renal failure with high calcium-phosphorous product (>70).
- • Tumoral calcinosis.
