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1st appeared
23 November
1999 UCSF Part of NIH Study on Knee Osteoarthritis Treatment UCSF is one of nine centers selected for a nationwide clinical study on the effectiveness of two natural substances in treating osteoarthritis of the knee. A four-year, $6.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund the multi-center study. The project will evaluate medications that duplicate the properties of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, which are found naturally in and around the cells of cartilage, the connective tissue that cushions the ends of bones within the joint. If the medications produce good results, they have the potential for helping some 21 million Americans with osteoarthritis who live with chronic pain in their joints and with limited motion, according to Nancy Lane, MD, principal investigator for the UCSF study site. "Millions of people with osteoarthritis are taking these two substances in the form of dietary supplements obtained from local drugstores and health food stores to combat the joint pain that they have from this disease. This study is important because we will find out if these substances really work," said Lane, a UCSF associate professor of medicine who treats patients at San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center. The national study is expected to involve more than 1,000 patients with knee osteoarthritis. It is approved as a Phase III, randomized, double-blind trial to test the efficacy, safety and side effects of the two substances. The medications will be administered to patients orally. Osteoarthritis, also known as OA and degenerative joint disease, is caused by a breakdown of cartilage. It generally occurs later in life and most commonly affects the hands and large weight-bearing joints, such as the knee. Age, female gender, and obesity are risk factors for knee OA, which is associated with progressive reduction in function and a decrease in mobility, including difficulty in changing from a sitting to a standing position. The University of Utah School of Medicine is the coordinating center for the national study. The NIH grant that is funding the trial was awarded through the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in collaboration with the National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
Patient recruitment is expected to begin in about six months; however, interested patients in the Bay Area can contact Dr. Lane now with their names and call-back phone numbers. She can be reached at (415) 206-6654 or by email at: nelane@itsa.ucsf.edu. Follow-up with prospective study participants will be made in the spring. Links: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Pursuing the Next Generation of Arthritis Treatment Book by UCSF Professor Details the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis Source: Corinna Kaarlela, News Services
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