The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / New Research Shows Chondroitin Sulphate Reduces Cartilage Volume Loss, Bone Marrow Lesions

New Research Shows Chondroitin Sulphate Reduces Cartilage Volume Loss, Bone Marrow Lesions

May 13, 2011 • By Sue Pondrom

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers have shown in a small clinical trial that chondroitin sulphate (CS) treatment significantly reduces the cartilage volume loss in knee osteoarthritis (OA) starting at six months of treatment, and subchondral bone marrow lesions (BML) at 12 months.1

You Might Also Like
  • Does Chondroitin Trump Celecoxib for Arthritic Knee Pain?
  • Placebo Outperforms Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate for Knee OA
  • Bone Marrow Edema Studied for Spondyloarthritis Diagnostic Insights
Also By This Author
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: Time Is of the Essence

Published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the pilot multicenter randomized, controlled, double-blind trial studied 69 patients with clinical signs of synovitis. Compared with those in the placebo group, patients in the CS group experienced a reduction in cartilage volume loss in the global knee at six months (p=0.030) that persisted at 12 months (p=0.021), a similar reduction at both six and 12 months in the lateral compartment (p=0.015 and p=0.004, respectively), and the tibial plateaus (p=0.002 and p=0.017, respectively). Reductions were also noted at six and 12 months in the lateral and medial tibial plateau, as well as the lateral condyle. The BML data showed no difference between the two groups at six months, but at 12 months there was a trend favoring the CS group (p=0.062 for the global knee, p=0.035 for the lateral compartment, and p=0.044 for the lateral condyle).

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

These results were in contrast to a controversial network meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).2 In that study, Wandel et al used a Bayesian model to make direct comparisons of the treatment effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or their combination with placebo or head to head, within randomized controlled trials in more than 200 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. The researchers concluded that, “compared with placebo, glucosamine, chondroitin, and their combination do not reduce joint pain or have an impact on narrowing of joint space.” They further opined that “health authorities and health insurers should not cover the costs of these preparations, and new prescriptions to patients who have not received treatment should be discouraged.”

Critical Eye on the Research

Several criticisms of the BMJ study were reported on the journal’s website in subsequent months, including remarks from Jean-Pierre Pelletier, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Montreal and senior author of the new study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“The BMJ article is a meta-analysis (in) which we disagree with the opinion of the principal investigators,” Dr. Pelletier tells The Rheumatologist. “Our opinion is not different from the one expressed by the BMJ deputy editor,” he says, referring readers to the BMJ website for rapid responses to the BMJ article. “The study published by our group in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases is well in line and supports previous publications on DMOAD [disease-modifying OA drug] effects of CS,” he adds.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Osteoarthritis, Research Reviews Tagged With: Chondroitin sulphate, Clinical research, Osteoarthritis

You Might Also Like:
  • Does Chondroitin Trump Celecoxib for Arthritic Knee Pain?
  • Placebo Outperforms Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate for Knee OA
  • Bone Marrow Edema Studied for Spondyloarthritis Diagnostic Insights
  • Research Offers Hope of New Therapies to Prevent Bone Loss and Destruction

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.