 new
study confirms that chondroitin sulfate reduces pain and improves joint
function in patients with osteoarthritis, according to the results of a
meta-analysis reported in the January
issue of The Journal of Rheumatology.
Dr. Burkhard F. Leeb, of the Stockerau
Hospital in Austria, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of seven
randomized, double blind trials of the efficacy of chondroitin sulfate in
the treatment of osteoarthritis.
The studies used the Lequesne index and
pain rating on visual analog scale to assess efficacy. A total of 372
patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis were treated with chondroitin
sulfate for at least 3 months in the studies.
Dr. Leeb's group found that subjects taking
chondroitin sulfate exhibited improvement in the Lequesne index, reduction
of pain and reduction of NSAID or analgesic consumption compared with
those taking placebo. In addition, "[patient's and/or physician's
global assessment...improved significantly in the [chondroitin sulfate]
versus the placebo treated patients," the investigators report.
The authors note that no study could be
found that showed lack of efficacy.
The chondroitin subjects did not have a
higher incidence of side effects, and the authors say that "...it can
be concluded that there is no safety issue to be reported concerning the
use of [chondroitin sulfate]."
While there is "...evidence for
significant efficacy of [chondroitin sulfate] on pain and function in the
treatment of [osteoarthritis] compared to placebo," Dr. Leeb and
coauthors add, "...these data do not suggest that [chondroitin
sulfate] is generally useful in [osteoarthritis] therapy."
They point out that only a small number of
patients were treated and there were no chondroitin dose finding studies
included in the analysis. Larger and longer trials are necessary
"...to determine its usefulness as a symptom modifying drug in
[osteoarthritis]," they suggest.
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