Short-term glucocorticoid treatment 'may prevent OA in joint injury'
Monday 5th September 2011
Short-term treatment with glucocorticoids could potentially reduce long term degenerative changes after joint injury, new research has shown.
The study, published in journal Arthritis Research & Therapy, also noted that the medication could also provide hope for prevention of osteoarthritis after injury.
Researchers employed a 'worst-case scenario' system, subjecting cartilage to mechanical injury and exposing it with immune-system stimulation bio-molecules.
It was found that the glucocorticoid dexamethasone reduced glycosaminoglycans loss and restored proteoglycan synthesis levels to normal.
Professor Alan Grodzinsky, of the MIT Center for Biomedical Engineering, said: "Our results suggest that short-term glucocorticoid treatment after joint injury may help restore components of cartilage to preinjury levels and consequently may prevent the long term changes which lead to osteoarthritis."
Meanwhile, Neil Betteridge, chief executive of Arthritis Care, has commented that osteoarthritis is not just a disease of the older generation.
He explained that rising levels of childhood obesity could see an increase in the number of young people with the condition.
Posted by Mathew Horton
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