Background: Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid is a well-established therapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of the use of Arthrum HCS® (40 mg hyaluronic acid and 40 mg chondroitin sulfate in 2 mL). Materials and methods: This was an open, multicenter, prospective study. Men or women over 40 years of age with documented knee osteoarthritis and WOMAC subscore A (severity of pain) ≥25 were enrolled. They received three weekly intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate 2 % and chondroitin sulfate 2 % in combination. WOMAC subscore A was assessed at 1, 3 and 6 months after the last injection. Results: One hundred and twelve patients were included (women, 66 %). The mean (SD) WOMAC subscore A decreased from 52.1 (15.2) at inclusion to 20.5 (19.7) at month 6 (P < 0.0001). The mean subscore was already significantly decreased 1 month after the last injection at 25.7 (P < 0.0001). Pain relief and consumption of analgesic drugs, both assessed with visual analogic scale (VAS), consistently decreased. The investigators were satisfied/very satisfied as regards the therapeutic effectiveness of sodium hyaluronate-chondroitin sulfate in reducing pain (77 %), improving mobility (78 %) and reducing the consumption of analgesics (74 %). Only one adverse effect was reported by one patient (knee tumefaction). Conclusion: These results suggest that intra-articular injections of Arthrum HCS® (sodium hyaluronate plus chondroitin sulfate) in patients with knee osteoarthritis are efficient and safe. These results should be confirmed in a randomized controlled study. Level of evidence: IV.
CITATION STYLE
Rivera, F., Bertignone, L., Grandi, G., Camisassa, R., Comaschi, G., Trentini, D., … Fortina, G. (2016). Effectiveness of intra-articular injections of sodium hyaluronate-chondroitin sulfate in knee osteoarthritis: a multicenter prospective study. Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 17(1), 27–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10195-015-0388-1
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