Paracetamol v placebo or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for osteoarthritis (OA)*
| Outcomes | Paracetamol v placebo | NSAIDs v paracetamol | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of comparisons (n) | Pooled effect size (95% CI) | Number of comparisons (n) | Pooled effect size (CI) | |
| *NA = not available. WOMAC = Western Ontario and McMaster University. CI defined in glossary. | ||||
| †Significant result favouring paracetamol over placebo. | ||||
| ‡Significant result favouring NSAIDs over paracetamol. | ||||
| Pain | 2 (394) | 0.21 (0.02 to 0.41)† | 11 (1641) | 0.20 (0.10 to 0.30)‡ |
| WOMAC OA score | 2 (394) | 0.14 (−0.06 to 0.34) | 4 (NA) | 0.30 (0.17 to 0.44)‡ |
| Function | Not assessed | Not assessed | 6 (NA) | 0.22 (0.08 to 0.34)‡ |
| Stiffness | Not assessed | Not assessed | 5 (NA) | 0.35 (0.19 to 0.50)‡ |
