Background: The pathophysiology of hemophilic arthropathy is complex and not completely understood. In this study, we aimed to identify biomarkers that can affect the hemophilic arthropathy severity.
Methods: Fifty patients were analyzed for biomarker frequencies; in 37 patients, articular symptoms were evaluated based on the physical joint examination score, and in 18, it was based on magnetic resonance imaging. Eight polymorphisms, namely FV 1691G>A, FII 20210G>A, MTHFR 677C>T and 1298A>C, TNFα-308G>A and -238G>A, ACAN VNTR, and IL1RN*2-VNTR were identified.
Results: Patients with the MTHFR 677TT genotype showed a higher number of affected joints (1.83 ± 0.9 vs. 0.55 ± 0.7 for CC; p = .023), whereas those with the MTHFR 1298AC genotype exhibited higher effusion according to two radiologists (0.90 ± 0.31/1.20 ± 0.63 vs. 0.38 ± 0.52/0.50 ± 0.53 for AA genotype; p = .043/0.036, respectively). In addition, patients with the TNFα-308GA genotype had more subchondral cysts (0.75 ± 0.95 vs. 0.07 ± 0.26 for GG genotype; p = .041).
Conclusions: The distribution of risk genotypes for MTHFR and TNFα-308GA suggests their association with clinical parameters of hemophilic arthropathy. Cohort studies are essential to verify these associations.
Keywords: diagnostic-imaging; genetics; hemarthrosis; hemophilia; joint-diseases; population.
© 2019 The Authors. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.