Histopathological study of iron deposit distribution in the rheumatoid synovium

A qualitative and semi-quantitative evaluation of synovial iron deposits in 20 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 12 patients presenting with degenerative and traumatic joint disease was carried out. Ferric iron deposits, abundant and preferentially distributed in the superficial and deeper connective tissue layers in the RA patients, were more limited and prevalently sited in the synovial lining layer in the controls. These results further underline the increase in synovial iron stores found in active RA and the role played by iron deposits in sustaining inflammation, as has been reported in the literature.