 |
| Painkillers like ibuprofen may make arthritis inflammation worse |
Ibuprofen, according to researchers, may not have long-term advantages for arthritic inflammation. They claim that anti-inflammatory medications may exacerbate internal inflammation, causing pain and stiffness in the joints.
Other medical professionals, however, assert that these drugs work well to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
When used for joint inflammation, such as in arthritis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as the ibuprofen brands Advil and Motrin, do not have a long-term effect.
According to research presented today at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting (RSNA).
Researchers analyzed 129 people with knee arthritis from the Osteoarthritis InitiativeTrusted Source cohort for the new study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Between the time of baseline and the four-year follow-up, all individuals had moderate to severe arthritis and had been using NSAIDs for at least a year. In addition to the participants, the research also included 592 control volunteers who weren't using NSAIDs.
All research participants had an initial MRI of the knee followed by a follow-up examination four years later.
The thickness and makeup of the cartilage were examined by the researchers. Both are biomarkers for assessing the development of arthritis.
The study's findings included increased cartilage thickness and greater degenerative changes among NSAID users. The alterations, however, were not deemed statistically significant by the researchers.
The researchers did come to the conclusion that long-term NSAID use could be linked to greater internal inflammation, which would result in more pain and worse joint function.
NSAIDs are frequently used to treat osteoarthritis because they can lessen inflammation, which lessens pain. They can last for four to twenty-four hours, depending on the composition.
Patients with arthritis do better without painkillers
The study's 277 individuals with moderate to severe osteoarthritis and long-term NSAID usage showed no improvement. In contrast to a group of 793 controls who did not take the medications, joint inflammation and cartilage quality actually worsened over the course of the following four years.
The relationship between NSAIDs and synovitis was examined, and the long-term effects of the treatment on joint structure were evaluated by Dr. Luitjens and her associates.
Dr. Luitjens says, "Synovitis promotes development and progression of osteoarthritis and may be a therapeutic target." In order to determine if NSAID use affects the onset or course of synovitis and to determine whether cartilage imaging biomarkers are affected by NSAID use and indicate changes in osteoarthritis.
At the beginning and conclusion of the study period, 3T MRI imaging of each participant's knees was performed. Compared to standard magnetic resonance imaging, this scan produces a magnetic field that is twice as powerful. Using scans as non-invasive indicators of inflammation and the course of arthritis, measures of cartilage thickness, composition, and other factors were recorded.
We were able to show that NSAIDs had no protective effects in reducing inflammation or delaying the progression of osteoarthritis of the knee joint because of the study's large participant pool, the author claims. The use of NSAIDs for their anti-inflammatory action has been actively encouraged in patients with osteoarthritis in recent years as a favorable impact on joint inflammation could not be proved.
One in four people has arthritis of some kind.
According to the CDC, there are about 58.5 million persons in the United States (23.7%) who have been diagnosed with arthritis. The rise in synovitis caused by NSAIDs has a number of potential causes.
On the one hand, the anti-inflammatory action that is frequently associated with NSAIDs may not be able to prevent synovitis, with slow degenerative change leading to synovitis growing worse with time, according to Dr. Luitjens. Even though we included physical activity in our model, individuals with synovitis who use painkillers may increase their physical activity as a result of the pain relief.
The study's principal investigator is urging prospective, randomized trials to offer convincing proof of the anti-inflammatory effects of NSAIDs. The most prevalent kind of arthritis, osteoarthritis, affects more than 500 million people globally including more than 32 million adults in the United States.
It usually affects the hands, hips, and knees. The joint's cushioning cartilage eventually deteriorates in sufferers. Inflammation or swelling of the joint, which can be exceedingly painful, is frequently a complication of arthritis. At the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting, the study's authors presented their findings (RSNA).
Appreciated