Chondroitin sulfate in erosive osteoarthritis of the hands

The aim of this study was to evaluate the joint count for erosions in patients with erosive osteoarthritis (EOA) of the hands treated with 800 mg/day of orally administered chondroitin sulfate plus naproxen, compared with that of patients administered naproxen only. Twenty-four consecutive patients (22 women and two men, mean age 53.0 +/- 6) suffering from symptomatic OA and with radiographic characteristics of EOA were studied. The patients were divided into two groups of 12 patients each. The first group took naproxen 500 mg/day only. The second group was treated with chondroitin sulfate 800 mg/day orally plus naproxen 500 mg/day. Radiological hand examinations were performed at baseline and again after 12 and 24 months. In both groups, the joint count for erosions showed a general tendency to increase over time. Progression of erosions at 24 months was lower in patients treated with 800 mg/day chondroitin sulfate plus naproxen than in patients taking naproxen only (p <0.05). Chondroitin sulfate failed to stop the usual time-associated progression in the number of finger joints presenting erosions in EOA of the hands. It was, however, associated with a lower increase in the number of finger joints with erosions detected after 2 years of radiological observation.