Synovial hypoxia as a cause of tendon rupture in rheumatoid arthritis

B Sivakumar, MA Akhavani, CP Winlove… - The Journal of hand …, 2008 - Elsevier
PURPOSE: Hypoxia and angiogenesis are now recognized as being important events in the
perpetuation of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In 50% of patients with RA,
however, the disease also involves inflammation of the synovial tissue surrounding the
tendons, which is associated with multiple ruptures and poor prognosis for long-term hand
function. The aim of this study was to determine whether hypoxia and angiogenesis may
also play a role in RA tendon disease. METHODS: Matched in vivo synovial oxygen …