The combination of Glucosamine and Sodium hyaluronate is effective to alleviate pain, and improve joint function and bone metabolism in patients with osteoporosis complicated by knee osteoarthritis.

A study aimed to clarify the effectiveness of Glucosamine + Sodium hyaluronate (SH) on bone metabolic markers and joint function in osteoporosis complicated by osteoarthritis of the knee.

A total of 126 individuals with OP + KOA were chosen, including 50 patients in the control group who received Glucosamine alone and 76 patients in the observation group who were given Glucosamine + Sodium hyaluronate. A comparison of the clinical effectiveness, joint function, bone metabolic markers, and pain was done.

The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) plus Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively, were used to quantify joint function and pain. Bone metabolic markers primarily assessed levels of serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase variant (TRACP)-5b, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), type I collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX-1), and Bone Gla protein.

No profound difference was noted in the pre-treatment VAS score between study groups. However, after treatment, the observation group had lower VAS scores than the control group, as depicted in Figure 1:

The observation group illustrated reduced WOMAC scores of joint function and higher Lysholm scores contrasted to the control group. In terms of bone metabolic markers, TRACP-5b and CTX-1 were reduced while Bone Gla protein and BALP were higher in the observation group. The curative effect was also greater in the observation group. All of the above differences were significant.

For the treatment of osteoporosis and knee osteoarthritis, Glucosamine + Sodium hyaluronate is superior to Glucosamine monotherapy. The combination substantially reduces pain, and improves joint function, bone metabolism and therapeutic effect, with a high clinical promotion value.