Pseudogout in an Acute-Care Hospital: Hospitalists as the Key to Optimized Care

Acute calcium pyrophosphate crystal arthritis (CPP) or pseudogout commonly affects older adults and may manifest as fever during hospitalization. However, its recognition as a cause of fever remains under-investigated, and diagnostic delays have been reported in approximately 27% of cases. This study evaluated the diagnostic and treatment accuracies of acute CPP in acute-care hospitals over a decade. Out of 47 cases, effective treatment was administered within 24 h in only 40.4% of cases. When managed by hospitalists, the likelihood of a timely and appropriate diagnosis increases, with a reduction of about half in the unnecessary use of computed tomography scans and antibiotics.