Abstract
BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis (OP) associated with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is common in older men and postmenopausal women, and it is important to find reliable and effective treatments for this disease to improve joint function and bone metabolism in this population. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the clinical efficacy of glucosamine (GlcN) plus sodium hyaluronate (SH) for OP complicated by KOA (OP + KOA) and its influence on joint function and bone metabolic markers (BMMs). METHODS: Admitted from July 2019 to July 2021, 126 patients with OP + KOA were selected, including 76 cases (observation group) treated with GlcN plus SH and 50 cases (control group) given GlcN alone. The pain, joint function, BMMs, and clinical efficacy were evaluated and compared. Pain and joint function assessments employed the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) plus Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, respectively. BMMs mainly measured bone gla protein (BGP), serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase variant (TRACP)-5b, type I collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX-1), and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP). RESULTS: Higher posttreatment VAS scores were determined in observation group as compared to control group; observation group showed lower WOMAC scores of joint function and higher Lysholm scores than control group; in terms of BMMs, TRACP-5b and CTX-1 were lower while BGP and BALP were higher in observation group; the curative effect was also higher in observation group. All the above differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: GlcN plus SH has definite clinical efficacy in the treatment of OP + KOA, which can not only significantly improve patients' joint function and bone metabolism but also relieve pain, with high clinical popularization value.