The effect of oral Glucosamine Chondroitin sulfate in the management of knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

The study was carried out in Tikrit teaching hospital during the period from February 2005 till April 2008. Eighty seven patients presented to the out patient department suffering from knee osteoarthritis. The study aimed to find out the effectiveness of glucoseamine chondroitine sulfate tablets in the management of osteoarthritis. A comparism have been made between 2 groups of patients those treated with glucoseamine chondroitine sulfate and those treated with other modalities. The study showed a vast majority of cases are females aged between 40 – 60 years old and most of them had moderate severity osteoarthritis. The patients' acceptance to the treatment with glucoseamine chondroitine sulfate was poor, so that 36.8% were incompliant, mostly because of the expensive course of treatment. The pain relief and functional improvement was good in a significant bulk of patients using the glucoseamine chondroitine sulfate therapy especially in those with mild to moderate osteoarthritis. Only 8 patients 9.2% of the whole sample developed side effects to glucoseamine chondroitine sulfate, all in form of gastric upset, 6 of them required stopping the medication. The study concludes that glucoseamine chondroitine sulfate is effective in both symptomatic and functional improvement of osteoarthritis whatever the severity