Hemophilic
arthropathy is the most common chronic complication in patients with
hemophilia. The pathogenesis of hemophilic
arthropathy involves the inflammatory processes associated with
rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Determining the severity and/or progression of joint damage is crucial when evaluating the effect of treatment modalities. Identifying reliable
biomarkers in the peripheral blood of patients with hemophilic
arthropathy may be beneficial in clinical practice. Circulating soluble
vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1),
E-selectin, and
P-selectin levels are elevated in patients with RA. Our study investigated whether these soluble adhesion molecules can be used as
biological indicators in the course of joint damage in patients with
hemophilia A.Patients with
hemophilia A (mild, moderate, and severe) were enrolled. The plasma levels of sVCAM-1,
E-selectin, and
P-selectin in patients with
hemophilia A and control were measured using specific
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay kits. Joint damages were evaluated using Pettersson scores.No statistically significant differences were observed in
E-selectin and
P-selectin levels between patients and controls. The sVCAM-1 level was significantly higher in patients with
hemophilia A than in controls. The differences remained significant in patients with severe
hemophilia A but not in patients with mild or moderate
hemophilia A. The degree of hemophilic
arthropathy was evaluated using Pettersson scores, and a score higher than 5 indicated marked
arthropathy. Patients with more than 1 joint with marked
arthropathy showed significantly higher sVCAM-1 levels.sVCAM-1 levels in patients with
hemophilia A are associated with the severity of hemophilic
arthropathy.