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Table 1 Details of clinical trials in humans

From: Effects of hyaluronic acid combined with anti-inflammatory drugs compared with hyaluronic acid alone, in clinical trials and experiments in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Study

No. of patients in IA-HA

No. of patients in IA-HA + AI

Age (mean ± SD), years

Stage of OAa

Blinded experiment

Treatments

Outcome extracted

HA characteristics

Results

Grecomoro et al., 1992 [31]

20

20

42.3 ± 9.87

–

–

1. HA 20 mg, 5 weekly IA

2. DEX 0.4 mg at 1st IA followed by HA for 4 weekly IA

VAS

HA (MW 500–750 kDa)

• For IA-HA + DEX, pain intensity decreased more rapidly and had lower levels than IA-HA

Ozturk et al., 2006 [33]

24

16

HA, 58 ± 7.7

HA + TA, 58.06 ± 10.3

Grade 2–3 [65]

Single-blind

1. HA 30 mg, 3 weekly IA in 1st month and 3 IA in 6th month

2. TA 10 mg, prior to 1st and 4th IA of HA (at the same condition of HA injection above)

VAS, WOMAC pain

HA (MW 1000–2900 kDa)

• VAS and WOMAC pain scores were significantly reduced for IA-HA + TA

• No significant differences in AE were reported between groups

Lee et al., 2011 [32]

22

21

HA, 69.1 ± 5.1

HA + KE, 61.1 ± 6.6

Grade 2–3 [65]

Single-blind

1. HA 25 mg, 5 weekly IA

2. KE 30 mg, 3 weekly IA, followed by HA, 2 weekly IA

VAS

HA (MW 940–1020 kDa)

• IA-HA + KE significantly improved pain compared with IA-HA alone

• 5 of 21 patients had focal post-injection knee pain 8 h after IA

de Campos et al., 2013 [30]

52

52

HA, 61 ± 12

HA + TH, 65 ± 9

Grade 1–4 [66]

Double-blind

1. HA 48 mg, single IA

2. HA 48 mg and TH 20 mg, single IA

VAS, WOMAC pain

HA (MW 6000 kDa)

• At week 1, VAS and WOMAC pain scores were lower for IA-HA + TH when compared with IA-HA

• There were no differences between groups at weeks 4, 12 and 24

• AE in each group were not different

Petrella et al., 2015 [34]

32

34

HA, 59 ± 12

HA + TA, 61 ± 11

Grade 2–3 [65]

Double-blind

1. HA (Hydros) 6 mL, single IA

2. TA 10 mg + HA (hydros) 6 mL, single IA

WOMAC pain

Hydros (modified HA polymer with a polyethylene glycol cross-linker which has the ability to entrap a low-dose corticosteroid)

• WOMAC pain scores were reduced in each group over 26 weeks

• AE were similar in both treatment groups

  1. aClassified by Kellgren & Lawrence grading system [65, 66]; −, no details
  2. AE adverse events, DEX dexamethasone, HA hyaluronic acid, IA intra-articular injection, KE ketorolac, kDa kilodaltons, MW molecular weight, OA osteoarthritis, TA triamcinolone acetonide, TH triamcinolone hexacetonide, VAS visual analog scale, WOMAC Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index