To describe the hospital burden of microcrystal arthropathies in France.

Data were extracted from the 2009–2011 French hospital national databases. We selected all hospital stays for microcrystal arthropathies (gout, chondrocalcinosis, other) encoded as primary or secondary diagnoses in patients older than 18. A descriptive analysis focused on number of patients and hospital stays, age, gender, comorbidities related to metabolic syndrome, and hospital costs based on 2012 public-sector costs.

132,275 hospitalizations involving 109,734 patients were related to microcrystal arthropathies encoded as primary or secondary diagnosis (61% related to gout, 34% to chondrocalcinosis, and 5% to other microcrystal arthropathies). 23,362 hospitalizations involving 25,105 patients were due to microcrystal diseases, encoded as primary diagnosis, (48% related to gout, 43% to chondrocalcinosis, and 9% to other microcrystal arthropathies). In this population, patients with chondrocalcinosis were older (mean 75.6±13.5 versus 71±16 years for other microcrystal arthropathies and 69.7±14.7 for gout). Men represented 70% of the patients with gout, 39% of those with chondrocalcinosis and 52% of the patients with other microcrystal arthropathies. Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiac ischemia, and renal failure were more frequent in patients with gout than other patients. The hospital costs for microcrystal arthropathies encoded as primary diagnosis were 82.3 million Euros, 45% related to gout, 45% to chondrocalcinosis and 11% to other microcrystals.

In terms of hospital costs, gout and chondrocalcinosis represented the main part of the economic burden of crystal arthropathies and a high level of diseases belonging to the metabolic syndrome. Specific education programs favouring accurate microcrystal diagnosis and adherence to treatment could diminish this hospital economic burden.