Synovial iron deposition in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

We examined the iron deposition in the synovia of 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 25 patients with osteoarthritis, and 20 controls without joint disorders. Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid synovia contained iron, but in the latter greater quantities were present. None of the controls with normal synovia had iron deposition. As osteoarthritic patients had no concurrent systemic disorders, we suggest that local factors are of major importance in the deposition of iron, as opposed to the theory that iron deposition in synovium is a reflection of a generalized disturbance of iron kinetics in chronic disease.