Basic Calcium Phosphate (BCP) Arthritis

BCP arthritis usually presents in the larger joints, and there is a classic version that is called Milwaukee shoulder. Elderly women are actually usually affected. To distinguish form normal osteoarthritis, know that BCP arthritis usually has large effusions and has the crystals seen with the special Alizarin red staining. Conservative management includes physical therapy, NSAIDS, tylenol, and intra-articular steroid injections. There is a broad differential diagnosis for BCP arthritis: gout, pseudogout, hemochromatosis, rotator cuff arthropathy.