Article Text

Download PDFPDF
Review: topical NSAIDs reduce pain in osteoarthritis only during the first 2 weeks of use

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text

Q Are topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) efficacious for treatment of osteoarthritis?

METHODS

Embedded ImageData sources:

Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Scientific Citation Index, and Cochrane Library (up to October 2003); reference lists; and conference abstracts from international societies of rheumatology (2002–3).

Embedded ImageStudy selection and assessment:

randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in any language that compared topical NSAIDs with placebo or oral NSAIDs in patients with clinical or radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis. Individual study quality was assessed based on randomisation, blinding, and withdrawals.

Embedded ImageOutcomes:

reduction in pain (global pain or pain at rest) from baseline, change in function or stiffness, and adverse events (eg, gastrointestinal, central nervous system, and local events).

MAIN RESULTS

13 trials (16 comparisons, n = 2224) met the selection criteria. Mean age of patients ranged from 61–67 years. Comparison groups were placebo (13 comparisons, …

View Full Text

Footnotes

  • For correspondence: Dr W Zhang, University of Nottingham, City Hospital, Nottingham, UK. weiya.zhangnottingham.ac.uk

  • Source of funding: UK Arthritis Research Campaign.