Glucosamine vermindert osteoartritis.*
Glucosamine sulfate reduces osteoarthritis progression
in
Olivier Bruyere, MSc,1,2,3 Karel Pavelka, MD, PhD,4,5 Lucio C.
Rovati, MD, 6 Rita Deroisy, MSc,3
Marta Olejarova, MD, PhD,5 Jindriska Gatterova, MD,5 Giampaolo
Giacovelli, PhD,6 and Jean-Yves Reginster, MD, PhD1,2,3,7
ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effect of glucosamine sulfate on long-term symptoms
and structure progression in postmenopausal women with knee
osteoarthritis (OA). Design: This
study consisted of a preplanned combination of two three-year, randomized,
placebo-controlled, prospective, independent studies evaluating
the effect of glucosamine sulfate on symptoms and structure modification in OA
and post-hoc analysis of the results obtained in postmenopausal
women with knee OA. Minimal joint space width was
assessed at baseline and after 3 years from standing anteroposterior knee
radiographs. Symptoms were scored by the algofunctional WOMAC index at
baseline and after 3 years. All primary statistical analyses were performed in
intention-to-treat, comparing joint space width and WOMAC changes between
groups by ANOVA.
Results: Of
414 participants randomized in the two studies, 319 were postmenopausal women.
At baseline, glucosamine sulfate and placebo groups
were comparable for demographic and disease characteristics, both in the
general population and in the postmenopausal women subset. After 3 years,
postmenopausal participants in the glucosamine sulfate group showed no joint
space narrowing [joint space change of +0.003 mm (95% CI, -0.09 to 0.11)],
whereas participants in the
placebo group experienced a narrowing of -0.33mm(95%
CI, -0.44 to -0.22; P < 0.0001 between the two groups). Percent
changes after 3 years in theWOMACindex showed an improvement in the
glucosamine sulfate group [-14.1% (95%, -22.2 to -5.9)] and a trend for
worsening in the placebo group (5.4% (95% CI, -4.9 to 15.7) (P = 0.003
between the two groups).
Conclusion: This analysis, focusing on a large cohort of postmenopausal women,
demonstrated for the first time that a pharmacological intervention
for OA has a disease-modifying effect in this particular population, the most
frequently affected by knee OA. Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause
Society
Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 138–143
DOI: 10.1097/01.GME.0000087983.28957.5D
© 2004 The North American Menopause Society