Long-term follow-up of Slovakian patients with chondrocalcinosis: implications for disease patterns

Objective: This paper reports the long-term follow-up of Slovakian patients with chondrocalcinosis and significant hand involvement to evaluate how these patients will be defined by criteria proposed to classify calcium pyrophosphate disorder patients.

Material and methods: Patients with chondrocalcinosis in the village of Velka Maca were examined and seven with prominent hand findings were identified. X-rays, laboratory tests and physical findings were reviewed.

Results: These patients with prominent metacarpal phalangeal and proximal inter-phalangeal involvement had occasional swan neck deformities but only firm thickening of the joints. X-rays showed chondrocalcinosis and osteoarthritis-like changes (Table I). These patients fit the classification of polyarticular non-inflammatory disease without acute flares (Fig. 1, 2).

Conclusions: In this population in which chondrocalcinosis had been first reported, patients with hand involvement did not show any examples of “pseudo rheumatoid arthritis” (polyarticular inflammatory arthritis) but rather non-inflammatory involvement.