Harpagophytum procumbens in the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis. Four-month results of a prospective, multicenter, double-blind trial versus diacerhein

Joint Bone Spine. 2000;67(5):462-7.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Harpagophytum in the treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis comparatively with the slow-acting drug for osteoarthritis, diacerhein.

Patients and methods: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study was conducted in 122 patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis. Treatment duration was four months and the primary evaluation criterion was the pain score on a visual analog scale. Harpagophytum 2,610 mg per day was compared with diacerhein 100 mg per day.

Results: After four months, considerable improvements in osteoarthritis symptoms were seen in both groups, with no significant differences for pain, functional disability, or the Lequesne score. However, use of analgesic (acetaminophen-caffeine) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (diclofenac) medications was significantly reduced in the Harpagophytum group, which also had a significantly lower rate of adverse events.

Conclusion: In this study, Harpagophytum was at least as effective as a reference drug (diacerhein) in the treatment of knee or hip osteoarthritis and reduced the need for analgesic and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Analgesics / therapeutic use*
  • Anthraquinones / therapeutic use*
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / therapeutic use*
  • Diarrhea / chemically induced
  • Female
  • Glycosides*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Osteoarthritis, Hip / drug therapy*
  • Osteoarthritis, Hip / physiopathology
  • Osteoarthritis, Knee / drug therapy*
  • Osteoarthritis, Knee / physiopathology
  • Pain / drug therapy
  • Pain Measurement
  • Pyrans / therapeutic use*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Analgesics
  • Anthraquinones
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
  • Glycosides
  • Pyrans
  • diacerein
  • harpagoside