Effectiveness of glucosamine chondroitin sulfate calcium tablets for knee osteoarthritis

Objective To study the effectiveness, side effects and safety of glucosamine chondroitin sulfate calcium (Keylid®) tablets for osteoarthritis of the knee. Methods To review the clinical data of 103 cases of primary knee osteoarthritis who had been treated between March 2013 and February 2014. The intervention group included 53 cases (23 males and 30 females with an age of 71.0±9.1 years) who received Keylid® tablets (2 tablets twice per day) accompanied with exercise therapy for 24 weeks; the control group included 50 cases (22 males and 28 females with an age of 69.8±8.8 years) who received placebo (2 tablets twice per day) accompanied with exercise therapy for 24 weeks. No NSAIDs, calcium or other articular dietary supplements were taken by the 2 groups during the study period. T-test was used to analyse the results. Results After treatment, the range of knee motion for the intervention group (123.27°±10.22°) was significantly larger than that for the control group (116.34°±8.76°), and the average pain visual analogue score after 40 m walking for the former (2.92±0.36) significantly lower than that for the latter (3.30±0.22) (P 0.05). No side effects were observed in either group during the study period. Conclusion Keylid® tablets complemented with exercise therapy may reduce pain and improve knee function with no adverse events in the patients with knee osteoarthritis. Key words: Osteoarthritis; Knee joint; Glucosamine chondroitin sulfate calcium tablets; Exercise therapy