Ibuprofen not linked with OA progression
Treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee with ibuprofen is not associated with disease progression, according to researchers from The Netherlands, but diclofenac may be (Arthritis Rheum 2005;52:3137-42).

They followed up over 2,300 patients with OA of the hip or knee for an average of 6.6 years. Disease progression was defined radiographically or as a joint replacement and data on drug use were obtained from pharmacy records. Compared with use for up to 31 days, there was no significant increase in the risk of disease progression with using ibuprofen for 1 - 6 months or for more than 6 months; there were similar findings for naproxen and piroxicam. The risk of progression of hip OA was significantly increased 2 - 3-fold for diclofenac after 6 months and, for knee OA, after both 1 - 6 months and 6 months. The risk with diclofenac remained significant (though with wide confidence intervals) after adjustment for pain severity.

Contact us
For more information.