A survey was conducted to determine drug treatments taken by patients with chronic osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee.
Data was collected at outpatient clinics at the Royal London and Newham University Hospitals, Bancroft Road, London between November 2001 and February 2003.
Two hundred patients (mean age of 65.8 years, mean OA duration of 4.4 years) completed the survey; 175 with OA of knee and 25 with OA of hip. The majority of patients (64%) required a combination of drug treatments, either prescribed or self-medicated, to manage their disease. Of the total patients, 76% were taking paracetamol, 40% were taking an NSAID and 39% were taking complementary therapy (such as cod liver oil or glucosamine) either as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs. Of this patients 39% who previously used an NSAID had discontinued, primarily due to side effects, especially those of the gastrointestinal tract.
The survey results demonstrate that there is a need to individualize treatment for each patient, which is consistent with published recommendations for the management of OA.