The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery

The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery

Arthropathy in People with Mild Hemophilia

Document Type : In Brief

Author
E. Carlos RODRIGUEZ-MERCHAN
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
10.22038/abjs.2025.90665.4103
Abstract
In people with mild hemophilia (PwMH) it is essential to characterize the presence of articular complications to develop approaches to minimize the burden of the disease. To this end, on 5 August 2025 a literature search was conducted in PubMed using the keywords “arthropathy mild hemophilia.” Higher burden of arthropathy among PwMH compared to the general population has been reported. Arthropathy of the ankle in PwMH is frequent, is often disabling, and is due to episodes of bleeding into the ankle joint during childhood. It has been reported that 36.5% of PwMH have arthropathy. Patient age and factor levels are the most important risk factors associated with the development of arthropathy in PwMH. The risk of developing arthropathy increased by 7.9% for each additional year of the minimum factor VIII levels required to prevent total and spontaneous joint bleeds (19.2 IU/dL and 17.7 IU/dL, respectively) age and decreased by 7.7% for each 1 IU/dL increase in clotting factor. The minimum FVIII levels required to prevent total and spontaneous joint bleeds in PwMH have been identified (19.2 IU/dL and 17.7 IU/dL, respectively). The need for more careful monitoring of PwMH is required.
Level of evidence: III
Keywords
Arthropathy
Mild hemophilia
Prevalence
Prevention
Risk factors
Subjects
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The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery
Volume 14, Issue 11
November 2026
Pages 748-753

  • Receive Date 28 August 2025
  • Accept Date 23 December 2025