Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate for Knee Osteoarthritis Redux

Jonathan S. Coblyn, MD reviewing Martel-Pelletier J et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2015 Mar.

In an observational study, patients who took glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate developed less cartilage loss in some areas of the knee.

Many patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) take supplemental glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, despite equivocal evidence of its effects on OA progression. Using data from a longitudinal study of patients with symptomatic radiographic knee OA, researchers examined the effects of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate and those of standard analgesic agents or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on knee structural changes in 600 patients who were followed for 24 months and underwent serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Subgroups were analyzed according to whether they were taking analgesics or NSAIDs and whether they were taking glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.

During follow-up, patients who were taking analgesics or NSAIDs developed more-severe joint space narrowing than those who were not; however, those who also took glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate had less cartilage loss in the central plateau. Among patients who were not taking analgesics or NSAIDS, those who took glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate had less cartilage loss in the medial central plateau. Importantly, these differences were seen only on MRI imaging, not on routine radiographs.

Citation(s):

Martel-Pelletier J et al. First-line analysis of the effects of treatment on progression of structural changes in knee osteoarthritis over 24 months: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative Progression cohort. Ann Rheum Dis 2015 Mar; 74:547.