A discovery conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), was funded by charity Versus Arthritis. This is a hope for millions of people across the UK suffering with long-lasting pain and toughness caused by osteoarthritis of the knee.
The consequences of the clinical trial show methotrexate, a medication by now used for autoimmune conditions, to be effective in releasing both the pain and rigorousness caused by knee osteoarthritis which affects 5.4 million people in the UK, and 364 million internationally. Osteoarthritis happens when the body can no longer uphold the joint to keep it strong and pain free.
Current discomfort relief choices for knee osteoarthritis are inadequate, temporary and often have minimal benefit. As per surveys carried out by Versus Arthritis, a third of people with osteoarthritis said they experienced extreme pain every day. If these survey results are representative of the UK populace, it means millions of people are living with debilitating pain owing to their osteoarthritis every single day of their lives.
The study, published today in medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine, was led by Professor Philip Conaghan and Dr Sarah Kingsbury of the Leeds NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Leeds, hosted by LTHT in partnership with the University of Leeds.
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Professor Conaghan explicated the implication of the trial
“There is an urgent need for treatments to help relieve the pain of osteoarthritis. Although there have been many trials of potential new treatments, these have largely failed to demonstrate any benefit, and so people with osteoarthritis have very few options. We are therefore very excited by our findings which show that methotrexate may offer a potential new treatment.
Being associated with 15 hospitals across the UK, the team recruited 155 patients with knee osteoarthritis who were not responding to present medications. Patients were divided into two groups with half given a placebo and half given methotrexate in tablet form once weekly over a period of 12 months. The outcomes presented those taking methotrexate, which decreases the activity of the immune system, experienced less pain and toughness at six months.
Dr Kingsbury mentioned that additional research would now be required
“Whilst this study offers real promise of a new treatment for osteoarthritis, there are still questions to be answered before methotrexate can be considered for widespread introduction.
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Military veteran Roger Van-Cauter explains what it is like to live with arthritis
Military veteran Roger Van-Cauter, from Shropshire aged 73, has a number of conditions, including osteoarthritis in his hands, hip, and knees. He states what it is like to live with arthritis:
“Osteoarthritis is my main issue – it’s very painful and because I was super fit all my joints are deteriorating. I’ve had trouble with my knees for a while really. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my 40s after experiencing pain completing the Great North Run.
Professor Lucy Donaldson, Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, research, hailed the trial results as a promising breakthrough.
“Osteoarthritis research has come far in our lifetime,” she said “but we still have a long way to go. New ways to treat osteoarthritis pain are urgently needed, so the results from this study are very exciting. These findings could offer real hope for millions affected by knee osteoarthritis.
Proper exercise, weight management and physiotherapy are the approaches recommended for management of osteoarthritis. Nevertheless, the momentous levels of pain and toughness experienced by patients generally demands additional therapies like medication, which are limited. Joint replacements can be well-thought-out for long term release for those with very advanced osteoarthritis. NHS waiting lists are however, often long and people face many years in pain.
Versus Arthritis campaigns on behalf of the 10 million people in the UK with arthritis to bring down waiting times and increase funding for musculoskeletal research to match its severe impact.
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