Arthropathy in Inhibitor Patients: Differences in the Joint Status

Inhibitor development represents the most significant complication of hemophilia treatment today. Although it has long been established that hemophilia patients with inhibitors face a higher risk (and a greater extent) of joint morbidity than their non-inhibitor counterparts, there remains a paucity of scientific data supporting this observation. Several issues need to be resolved before the risk of greater joint damage in inhibitor patients can be verified. This article explores these issues in an attempt to confirm and explain the differential joint morbidity observed between inhibitor and non-inhibitor patients. However, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of the biology of inhibitor development, and greater understanding in this area will produce more effective therapies that might ultimately prevent or attenuate their development altogether.