Osteoarthritis Research Paper

Introduction Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis affecting at least 20 million Americans with its prevalence expected to double in the next 2 decades (12.) (9). OA was once believed to be a consequence of aging, which still holds true, but is now believed to involve a multitude of biological and pathological processes influenced by several factors, including genetics, age, gender, obesity, joint injury, estrogen, diabetes and muscle strength with age and weight being the predominating factors. OA is a multifactorial disease that may progressively affect the structure of all joint tissue leading to joint pain and inflammation. The pathogenesis of OA has yet to be clearly defined but is is characterized by progressive hyaline

OA also can effect the personal and social life, socioeconomic status, and psychological well being of people inflicted with this disease (13).

Osteoarthritis is usually treated with analgesics and non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs. These drugs have been shown to cause serious gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse events, especially with long term use (17) Other medical interventions including orthopedic surgery such as joint replacement have been implemented with OA Patients. There have been several studies on the the use of glucosamine and chondroitin with the treatment for the treatment and prevention of OA. Glucosamine and chondroitin are among the most popular non-vitamin, non-mineral specialty supplements in the United States, with sales of the supplements reaching over 2billion dollars globally (7) (17) They are often taken together as a single daily supplement for osteoarthritis. It has been estimated that 7.4% of older Americans use glucosamine-chondroitin, a prevalence of use similar to that for acetaminophen. While the biologic effects of these

(2007). conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study to assess the effects of glucosamine hydrochloride (1500 mg/d) plus chondroitin sulfate (1200 mg/d) for 28 days compared to placebo in 18 healthy, overweight adults, aged 20–55 y. Statistically significantly lower geometric mean CRP concentrations were observed after the G&C intervention compared to placebo (-23%, P = 0.048). No significant differences were observed in the other inflammation or oxidative stress biomarkers assessed, although they were slightly lower after G&C supplementation with the exception of the soluble TNF receptors, which increased by 1–3%.