Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is a leading cause of physical disability, increased health care usage, and impaired quality of life. An estimated 12% of the US population aged 25 years or older (nearly 21 million persons in 1990) have clinical signs and symptoms of OA.
Although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are commonly used to treat OA and have been proven effective, their widespread use is associated with significant toxic effects, especially in the elderly population. Although the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors have a lower rated of gastrointestinal tract complications than conventional NSAIDS, there remains an urgent need for finding pharmacological therapies for OA that are both effective and relatively safe. In this regard, the nutraceuticals glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate have attracted substantial attention by the public and in the medical literature.
Some studies even suggest that the pain relief provided by use of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine may rival the relief provided by NSAIDs. It may also be true that these compounds may slow the rate of damage to cartilage in OA patients. There is relatively little long-term data available currently to support these hypotheses, however, the National Institute of Health is currently conducting such a trial. It is called the GAIT (Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial) and it seeks to define the efficacy of treating OA with chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine either alone or together. In this trial, 13 different centers are evaluating the effect of a chondroitin and/or glucosamine on patient pain and level of function of the involved joint at six months. The study will also look at the overall progression of OA in these patients after an interval of 18 months of treatment to determine efficacy in this capacity. The results for this trial were scheduled to be released in March of 2005, but there is still no word on the conclusions reached to date. |
