The use of hyaluronic acid (HA) in osteoarthritis (OA) is based on the findings that viscoelasticity of the synovial fluid is entirely due to its HA content and that HA itself may influence the disease by interacting with components of the synovial fluid. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of HA in OA of the first carpometacarpal joint.
This study was performed on 43 patients with 56 total joints. Five parameters were been relieved: spontaneous pain; provoked pain; joint performances and related pain; algofunctional index of Dreiser; assumption of drugs. The administrations of HA have been performed with 0.5 ml of HA at each injection.
The behaviour of pain shows a significant (p < 0.0005 for all the comparisons) reduction from base time to the end of the study and the Dreiser Index decreased as well. At base time 81.4% of the patients assumed NSAIDs and only 13.8% analgesics. During the following weeks a smaller requirement of NSAIDs (from 81% to 23%) and a greater number of patients without analgesic therapy were observed.
Intra-articular HA seems to be effective in OA of CMC joint. This short term study suggests to observe and to treat these patients during a longer period of time in order to evaluate not only the efficacy but also the clinical safety.