Antibiotic Reduces Cartilage Loss of Arthritis

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Antibiotic Reduces Cartilage Loss of Arthritis

07/21/2004

Researchers have found that doxycycline, a common antibiotic, appears to

reduce cartilage loss and pain in women whose knees show early signs of

osteoarthritis.

A study involving 431 women, aged 45-64, was conducted over a 30-month

period in six sites. The participants had x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis

in only one knee at the start of the trial but were at very high risk for

similar development in the other knee in the near future. Half of the women

received a placebo and the other half received 100 mg of doxycycline twice

daily. At the end of the trial, x-rays showed that the women who received

doxycycline had an average of 33% less cartilage loss in their affected

knee, compared to the group who had only placebo. There was also evidence

that the antibiotic had a beneficial effect on the unaffected knees. The

researchers used fluoroscopy for obtaining the live x-ray images of each

patients knees.

In addition, the results showed that women taking doxycycline were less

likely to report clinically significant increases in knee pain, said

D. Brandt, professor of medicine and orthopedic surgery at the Indiana

University School of Medicine (Indianapolis, IN, USA; www.medicine.iu.edu).

The goal of new research would be to develop a drug that provides a therapy

for osteoarthritis without the common side effects of antibiotics.

http://arthritis.org/Resources/DisplayScreamingNews.asp?id=501