GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE EFFICACY IN TREATING KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY/EFEKTI GLUKOZAMIN SULFATA U LIJECENJU OSTEOARTROZE KOLJENA: LONGITUDINALNO ISTRAZIVANJE

Osteoarthritis (OA) can be treated using either a pharmacological or non-pharmacological approach, or a combination of both. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of crystalline glucosamine sulfate (CGS) in patients with knee OA. This open-label prospective study (with a 12-month follow-up) included 111 patients of both genders suffering from knee OA, who attended the Special Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Novi Sad, Serbia during the 2011-2013 period. Patients were divided into the experimental (n=52) and the control (n=59) group. While the former was prescribed CGS 1500 mg/day, the latter was treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) according to the standard protocol. The efficacy of both treatment modes was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Lequesne index, along with the radiological findings which involved knee joint space width (JSW) measurements. One year following the initial assessment, all patients reported pain intensity reduction; however, those in the CGS group experienced significantly lower pain intensity when compared with controls. At the end of the study, no reduction in the progression of joint structure damage (p>0.5) was noted in either group. Thus, while CGS demonstrated symptomatic efficacy, it failed to delay the progression of knee OA. Key words: arthritis; chondroitin; disease modifying drugs; rehabilitation Osteoartritis (OA) moze se lijeciti farmakoloskim ili ne-farmakoloskim pristupom, ili kombinacijom oba pristupa. Cilj ove studio bio je istraziti djelotvornost kristaliziranog glukozamin sulfata (CGS) u pacijenata sa OA koljena. Ova open-label prospektivna studija (s 12 mjeseci pracenja) ukljucivala je 111 pacijenata oba spola koji su patili od OA koljena te koji su lijeceni u Specijalnoj bolnici za reumatoloske bolesti u Novome Sadi u Srbiji u razdoblju od 2011. do 2013. godine. Pacijenti su podijeljeni u eksperimentalnu (n=52) i kontrolnu (n=59) skupinu. Eksperimentalnoj je skupini propisano 1500 mg/dnevno CGS-a, dok je kontrolna skupina lijecena nesteroidnim protuupalni, lijekovima (engl. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; NSAID) prema standardnom protokolu. Djelotvornost oba modaliteta lijecenja analizirana je pomocu Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) i Lequesne indexa, uz radioloske rezultate koji su ukljucivali mjerenje sirine zajednickog prostora (JSW) koljena. Godinu dana na