Flexofytol ® (A Belgian Curcumin Extract) for the Treatment of Aged Patients with Osteoarthritis and Comorbidity

Abstract

Introduction: Currently, the therapeutic arsenal of osteoarthritis includes several extracts of Curcuma including Flexofytol®, a bio-optimized extract of Curcuma longa. However, in older patients, indications for treatment might be limited by comorbidity and polymedication. Therefore, we aimed to assess the benefits and risks of Flexofytol®, in an older population with comorbidi-ties. Patients and Methods: This retrospective observational study included 31 patients over age 70 years (medianage: 77 years, range 71-81) that were treated with Flexofytol for painful osteoarthritis of the knee or lumbar spine. These patients were initially weakened by diabetes (48%) and/or renal insuffi-ciency (71%), or they were taking anticoagulants (35%). The effects of Flex-ofytol®, were evaluated at 0, 6 and 12 weeks with visual analog scales for pain and disability and the SF-12 Quality of Life questionnaire. Adverse effects and drug interactions of Flexofytol®, were evaluated. In particular, we evaluated renal function, diabetes parameters and coagulation tests. The data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon-Mann-Withney non-parametric tests. Results: Patients with Flexofytol®, showed significant improvement: pain improved by 50% (p = 0.0002) and functional disability improved by 33% (p = 0.0075). A series of quality of life parameters improved within the first 6 weeks of treatment and up to 3 months of treatment without impacting renal function, metabolic parameters or coagulation tests. We observed no significant adverse effects. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results suggested that Flexofytol®, may be useful in the management of painful osteoarthritis, particularly in older patients that are fragile due to comorbidity and polymedica-tion. These initial results must be confirmed in future studies. How to cite this paper: De Breucker, S., Rouvière, H., Mélot, C. and Appelboom, T. (2017) Flexofytol ® (A Belgian Curcumin Extract) for the Treatment of Aged Patients with Osteoarthritis and Comorbidity.