COMPARISON OF THE ANTIINFLAMMATORY EFFICACY OF CHONDROITIN SULFATE AND DICLOFENAC SODIUM IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Objective. To assess the clinical efficacy of chondroitin sulfate (CS) in comparison with the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) dic lofenac sodium (DS) in a medium/longterm clinical study in patients wi th knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. This was a randomized, multicent er, double blind, double dummy study, 146 patients with knee OA were r ecruited into 2 groups, During the first month, patients in the NSAID group were treated with 3 x 50 mg DS tablets/day and 3 x 400 mg placeb o (for CS) sachets; from Month 2 to Month 3, patients were given place bo sachets alone. In the CS group, patients were treated with 3 x 50 m g placebo (for diclofenac) tablets/day and 3 x 400 mg CS sachets/day d uring the first month; from Month 2 to Month 3, these patients receive d only CS sachets. Both groups were treated with 3 x 400 mg placebo sa chets from Month 4 to Month 6. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by asse ssing the Lequesne Index, spontaneous pain (using the Huskisson visual analog scale), pain on load (using a 4 point ordinal scale), and para cetamol consumption. Results. Patients treated with the NSAID showed p rompt and plain reduction of clinical symptoms, which, however, reappe ared after the end of treatment; in the CS group, the therapeutic resp onse appeared later in time but lasted for up to 3 months after the en d of treatment. Conclusion. CS seems to have slow but gradually increa sing clinical activity in OA; these benefits last for a long period af ter the end of treatment.