Joint injections, creams ineffective for treating hand arthritis: Study

Joint injections may be ldquoineffectiverdquo and not improve symptoms of people suffering from arthritis in the hands according to a studyThe study published in RMD Open also found the effectiveness of some topical creams to be ldquouncertainrdquo However painkillers and steroid pills are effectiveThe hands are the most common area to be affected by arthritis Treatments to ease the symptoms can include antiinflammatory drugs steroids ointments or injections straight into the jointldquoMany pharmacological treatments for hand osteoarthritis pain are available of which most have no proven efficacyrdquo said Anna Dossing from the University of Copenhagen in DenmarkHand osteoarthritis is a common disease affecting 159 per cent of women and 82 per cent of men aged between 4084 yearsThe incidence increases with age and thus the burden will grow with the ageing population The condition causes pain and impairs grip and motor function affecting peoplersquos abilities with activities of daily living and workPeople also experience dull or burning joint pain morning stiffness and swollen jointsThe study explored research databases finding 72 trials involving a total of 7609 patients with 29 treatments provided over an average period of three monthsOf the total 60 trials comprising 5246 patients looked specifically at pain and were included by researchers in a pooled data analysis The results showed that nonsteroidal antiinflammatories NSAIDs and steroid tablets performed better than placebosHowever the effectiveness of topical creams and gels was not clear Joint injections such as hyaluronate or steroids as well as hydroxychloroquine tablets were ldquono better than placebordquo researchers saidldquoFor hand osteoarthritis oral NSAIDs and oral glucocorticoids appear effective whereas the efficacy of topical NSAIDs remains questionablerdquo Dossing saidResearchers said their findings ldquoecho those of previous pooled data analysesrdquo but ldquocontradict the recommendations of existing clinical guidelinesrdquo the report saidldquoThese findings raise questions about the evidence supporting the current treatment recommendation for intraarticular therapies and emphasise the need for future largescale trials with a rigorous methodology to establish the efficacy of promising interventions such as topical NSAIDsrdquo the team said in the paperThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever