THURSDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Acetaminophen may have anti-inflammatory properties that are similar to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in osteoarthritic knees, according to the findings of a small, uncontrolled pilot study published in the November issue of the journal Rheumatology.
Kenneth D. Brandt, M.D., of Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, and colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the more painful knee of 10 NSAID-treated and 20 acetaminophen-treated osteoarthritis patients. Total effusion volume and synovial tissue volume were measured in subjects after they had undergone a five half-life wash-out and again after reinstitution of treatment.
Patients who reinstituted 4,000 mg a day of acetaminophen showed similar reductions in the severity of their knee pain compared with patients who reinstituted NSAID therapy (50 percent versus 49 percent). The two therapies resulted in similar reductions in synovial effusion volume and synovial tissue volume, the study showed.
"While uncontrolled and derived from small samples, these data suggest that acetaminophen may have a significant anti-inflammatory effect in patients with knee osteoarthritis comparable with that achieved with NSAIDs, possibly through an effect on neurogenic inflammation," the study authors conclude.
The study was funded by McNeil Personal Products Corp.
Abstract
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