Features of Immunohistochemical Changes in the Bone-cartilage Component and Synovial Membrane of the Knee Joint in Rheumatoid Lesions of Varying Degrees

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of the joints, affecting approximately 1% of the population. And the prevalence in people over 60 years of age is more than 2%. Unlike primary knee osteoarthritis, which is associated with age-related wear of articular cartilage and gradually progresses over time, rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, with an annual incidence of 5-50 cases per 100,000 new cases. The aim of our study was to study the characteristics of immunohistochemical changes in the bone-cartilage component and synovial membrane of the knee joint in rheumatoid lesions of varying degrees. A cohort retrograde study was conducted within the framework of our study. Depersonalized paraffin blocks of 20 cases from the archival material available in the Educational-Scientific and Diagnostic Laboratory of Tbilisi State Medical University in 2017-2025 were selected. We divided the cases selected by us as the study group into several subgroups. The immunohistochemical features of the osteochondral component and synovial membranes were evaluated separately, and in both components we distinguished different degrees of damage, for which the above synovial membrane and osteochondral component assessment systems were used. As the results of the study show, the disease progresses from the synovial membrane to the bone tissue. And the statistically reliable immunohistochemical markers of disease progression include CD138, a-SMA and CD68.

Based on the above results, the practical value of the study is that synovial membrane biopsy is important for the early diagnosis of rheumatic disease, and further large-scale research in this direction is necessary to implement this method in clinical practice.