CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS OF GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN SULPHATE IN TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis, and is the most common form of arthritis. Persons suffering from osteoarthritis have symptoms of pain, stiffness, decreased range of motion of affected joints. Although NSAIDS are the most commonly prescribed agents for this disorder but can cause of serious adverse effects. Two compounds Glucosamine and chondroitin which are extracted from animal products have been used in various forms for OA. To assess the clinical effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitinsulphate in treatment of osteoarthritis symptoms like joint pain, joint space narrowing, reduced walking time, swelling etc. We searched articles separately for glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate using internet. Fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Data from articles was extracted using a standardized data extraction tables i.e. table1 and table 2. Glucosamine and Chondroitin sulphate are effective in the treatment of Osteoarthritis because these canreducepain, prevent further joint space narrowing and solve other related problems of this disease. The two agents can be used in osteoarthritis treatment as their safety is already assured as compared to other symptomatic treatment for OA. But these agents can take more time to treat disease as compared to conventional medicine like NSAIDS.