Vitamin D & Autoimmune Disease

Karen Costenbader, MD, of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston reported at a plenary session of the American College of Rheumatology that adults taking 2000 IU of Vitamin D and one gram of omega 3 fatty acids daily were less likely to develop autoimmune disease than adults taking a placebo. Costenbader’s research group reviewed data from the Vitamin D and Omega 3 Vital trial which included 2,000 men ages 50 and older and women 55 and older.

In her work, Dr. Costenbader looked at almost 17,000 participants who had blood tests for Vitamin D levels and Omega 3 fatty acids. The study groups were followed for over a five-year period. Those supplemented with Vitamin D and Omega 3 fatty acids reduced the incidence of autoimmune disease by 25- 30%.

Vitamin D supplements and Omega 3 Fatty Acid supplements are readily available, inexpensive and non- toxic when taken in appropriate dosages. Their use should be encouraged.

For Arthritis of the Knee, Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate is the Best Medicine to Control Long Term Symptoms of Joint Change

A paper presented at the recent American College of Rheumatology annual meeting reviewed all the research results on use of medications to control joint changes and pain in arthritic knees caused by osteoarthritis. Lucio C, Rovati, MD, of the Clinical Research Department of Rottpharm Biotech, Monza, Italy and the University of Milano Vicocca, Milano, Italy and colleagues presented the first systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effects of available medication used for at least a year to treat knee osteoarthritis. Their findings were published in the online journal MedPage Today. They reviewed 5992 articles discussing treatment with acetaminophen, calcitonin, celecoxib (Celebrex), chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, indomethacin, naproxen, vitamin D and zoledronic acid plus several others. The only medication that had a significant long term beneficial effect on pain and physical function was glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. This does not mean that Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, Celebrex or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs did not provide some immediate short term pain relief. It means that over a year they didn’t maintain the joint integrity and consistently maintain or improve function.

Glucosamine Study: “It Doesn’t Work”

C. Kent Kwoh, M.D., of the University of Arizona in Tucson reported results of a study to examine whether individuals who take glucosamine showed evidence of structural benefits in the treatment of their knee arthritis on MRI scans and in biochemical markers of cartilage deterioration. The study appeared in the online version of Arthritis & Rheumatology.

There is a big retail market for glucosamine with more than one in ten U.S. adults using it for relief of arthritic pain. Many studies have been done but most were sponsored by manufacturers of glucosamine so the results are felt to be reliable. Worldwide sales of glucosamine top $2 billion dollars per year.

To evaluate the substance, Dr. Kwoh found 201 volunteers from his community with chronic knee pain. The patient’s mean age was 52 years old. More than 50% were women. Their body mass index averaged 29kg/m2 indicating they were not grossly overweight. They were randomized and blinded into two groups one receiving 1500mg of glucosamine hydrochloride (Reganasure) or a placebo in a 16 ounce bottle of a diet beverage. They then followed the patients for six months recording their pain evaluations, their changes on MRI images of their knees and noting any difference in the levels of C-terminal telopeptide of type II collagen – a marker of collagen deterioration. The results showed no differences between the glucosamine and placebo group.

Joanne Jordan, M.D., Chief of Rheumatology University of North Carolina noted that the study showed that glucosamine at this dose and for this length of time does not alter or help arthritis sufferers. “Nobody wishes it worked more than me.” said Nancy E Lane, M.D., director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Health at the University of California Davis in Sacramento. “It doesn’t work. There’s a group of patients who get a reduction in pain when they take glucosamine because glucosamine is a sugar and sugars can be analgesic to some people.”

No one has shown that glucosamine is harmful to anyone. It would be helpful if the study ran for more than six months since arthritis is a long term episodic disease. The investigation of supplements and alternative treatments is long overdue so this scientific study is welcome. It just needs to be continued for a longer period of time to satisfy those who use the product and have gotten relief.

Knee Replacement Postponed By Knee Injections

The American College of Rheumatology meeting in San Diego, California is the site of scientific presentations on arthritis affecting us all. Roy D. Altman, MD of the University of California Los Angeles, presented data saying that injections of hyaluronic acid into the knee provided sufficient pain relief to allow patients to postpone knee replacements by 2.6 years. The delay is extremely important because the knee prostheses only last about ten years before they need to be surgically revised. ““Knee replacement isn’t a cure all,” said Altman and “it’s important to delay total knee replacement as long as possible.”

Twenty-seven million Americans have osteoarthritis of the knee according to Altman. Those with severe pain and impairment use these hyaluronic acid injections to help restore intra-articular synovial fluid function and improve outcomes. No data was available until now to see its effect on knee replacement. Altman and associates looked at patient insurance company data bases of more than 7 million people. They identified 26,627 who were diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and had undergone surgical knee replacement. 7000 had received at least one injection of hyaluronic acid and several had up to four injections. They then looked the length of time from diagnosis to surgery and compared it to individuals who did not have injections of hyaluronic acid.

Hyaluronic acid injections are used by local physicians to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis frequently. We now know it is both reducing pain and postponing significant surgery.