Treatment of osteoarthritis knee pain: update on use of intra-articular hylan G-F 20

Correspondence: Alberto Migliore Department of Rheumatology, S Pietro FBF Hospital, Rome, italy Tel +39 (6) 3358 5802 Fax +39 (06) 3326 5169 email albertomigliore@terra.es Background: Osteoarthritis is a public health concern, particularly in modern society, and is the leading osteoarticular pathology in developed countries. The increased prevalence of osteoarthritis with aging, coupled with the aging of populations, makes osteoarthritis a high priority health care problem. Viscosupplementation is a well established treatment option in knee osteoarthritis that is included in the professional guidelines for treatment of this joint disease. Objective: This review assessed the efficacy and safety of viscosupplementation with hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc) in the management of joint pain in knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Three databases were searched, ie, Medline (1970–2010), the Database of Abstract on Reviews and Effectiveness, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Reference lists of relevant articles were examined for additional references. Results: Eighteen studies were identified (six European, five Turkish, three US, two Canadian, one Swiss and one English), which reported efficacy of viscosupplementation in a total of 3689 patients undergoing viscosupplementation treatment with Synvisc for knee osteoarthritis compared with low molecular weight viscosupplementation, high molecular weight viscosupplementation, medium molecular weight viscosupplementation, placebo, corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and physical therapy. Conclusion: Synvisc viscosupplementation in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis is a safe and effective therapeutic option that could also reduce the direct and indirect costs related to this disease.