Are oncogenes responsible for hemophilic arthropathy?
EMORY UNIVERSITY The pathogenesis of hemophilic arthropathy is not completely understood. In this issue, Hakobyan and colleagues demonstrate the association between iron, increased mdm2 expression, and synovial hypertrophy as a possible factor in this debilitating condition. Joint disease has long been the hallmark of hemophilia, as evidenced by 2 of its most famous victims: Prince Leopold, the son of Queen Victoria, and Alexis, the young tsar-inwaiting. Current treatment with factor VIII (FVIII) or IX replacement and surgical or radioisotopic intervention has improved the lives of hemophiliacs since the days of rest, ice, compression, and elevation or the aromatic therapy that was prescribed by the charlatan monk, Rasputin. However, despite these modern advances, there have been precious few studies to help unravel the pathophysiology surrounding this debilitating condition.
