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The Curious Bag
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Pseudogout---a type of arthritis caused by the buildup of salt crystals in the joints---affects mostly older people and leads to swelling, warmth and pain in the joints of the legs and arms. No cure exists, but medication can manage its symptoms.
Identification
The main difference between gout and pseudogout is that treatments exist to reduce uric acid crystals for gout, but no treatments reduce salt crystals in pseudogout, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Pain Relief
A doctor may recommend pain relievers---including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen, or the gout drug colchicine---for pseudogout pain, says the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus website.
Joint Aspiration
Joint aspiration, which removes fluid through a needle to relieve pressure at affected joints, is another treatment recommended by the Mayo Clinic and MedlinePlus.
Steroids
Doctors may give injection steroids to relieve local pain or oral steroids to relieve several joints, reports MedlinePlus.
Rest
Short periods of resting the affected joint can help swelling go down and relieve pain, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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