Calcium Pyrophosphate and Basic Calcium Phosphate Deposition Diseases: The Year in Review 2022

Calcium-containing crystal deposition diseases are a common cause of pain and disability but remain relatively under-investigated. No drug has been identified that can prevent deposition or effect dissolution of either calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) or basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals. In comparison to the field of gout and urate biology, published research in relation to calcium crystal deposition diseases in 2022 was relatively modest in quantity. In CPP deposition (CPPD) disease, progress was made mainly in epidemiology, imaging, surgical management and Gitelman’s syndrome. In relation to BCP crystals, the effect on tenocytes in vitro was explored and results indicate that BCP crystals likely reduce tendon matrix integrity via their interaction with tenocytes. The involvement of calcification in the progression of osteoarthritis (OA) was elegantly demonstrated contributing to further discovery of the process of OA progression. There was a paucity of mechanistic and genetic studies in calcium crystal deposition diseases published in 2022, nor any breakthrough in therapy, showing that there is abundant scope for investigation under these themes in the future.