Platelet Rich Plasma as a Modality of Treatment for Primary Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis is a degenerative, chronic disease that affects up to 80% of the population over 75 years of age.' A recent report indicates that knee osteoarthritis is likely to become the fourth most crucial aetiology of physical limitation in women and the eighth most in men.(2) In middle-aged persons, osteoarthritis may cause a major burden in lost time at work and early retirement. The symptoms are often associated with notable functional impairment, as well as signs and symptoms of inflammation, including pain, stiffness, and loss of movement. Analgesics, non-steroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucosamine/chondroitin supplementation, physical therapy, and hyaluronic acid injections are useful in the treatment of osteoarthritis. New experimental studies have begun to target the biomechanical process of osteoarthritis with focus on repairing cartilage or replacement. METHODS In this study, 50 patients with knee joint osteoarthritis were treated with 3 monthly intraarticular knee joint injections of platelet-rich plasma under local anaesthesia as in and outpatient procedure in Government General Hospital, Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada, after taking clearance from ethical committee. All patients were treated with 3 monthly intra-articular injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma into the knee joint, under local anesthesia on an outpatient basis. All these cases were treated from January 2017 to August 2018. RESULTS From the data collected, results were analyzed and presented in this study. The average age incidence was 53 years with age distribution between 40-70 years. 32 patients (64%) were overweight, 12 (24%) patients were obese, and 6 patients (12%) were normal weight. 24 (48%) patients had grade 1, 26 patients (52%) had grade 2 osteoarthritis according to Kellgren-Lawrence grading system. VAS scale improved significantly from an average of 5.94 to 3.42. IKDC score increased significantly from 38.56 to 76.12. Six patients experienced pain at the injection site, one patient had increasing pain, and one patient had skin discoloration at the injection site. No infections or allergies were noted. CONCLUSIONS PRP procedure showed a higher degree of efficacy as well as significant findings of more and longer pain reduction, improved function, and patient satisfaction. This was particularly noticeable in the treatment of younger patients with less severe articular cartilage degeneration. It could be utilized as a reasonable treatment option when other therapies fail or are inappropriate for the particular patient. However, more number of observations should be done to come to a conclusion.