Special Danish Rose Hip Powder Reduces Pain and Stiffness of Osteoarthritis of the Hand

摘要

Osteoarthritis (OA) is "essentially a disease of wear and tear of articular cartilage," according to the authors of this paper. Seen in about 90% of the population by age 40, OA is triggered by inflammatory response to cartilage destruction. Nonsurgical treatment mainly aims to alleviate the associated pain and stiffness and reduce the inflammation. Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) and various nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat the symptoms but often have toxic and unwantedadverse effects. And, although selective inhibitors of the proinflammatory cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) have shown analgesic and antiinflammatory properties without adverse effects, they are expensive and may negatively affect patients' circulatory systems.In earlier studies, including trials by these authors, rose hip (Rosa canina, Rosaceae) powder (RHP) containing an equal amount of seeds and shells was shown to be useful for treating patients suffering from OA of the knee and/or hip1"3 and patients withrheumatoid arthritis.4 Inthe randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study reported here, the authors examined whether or not RHP reduces symptoms of OA of the hand. This is a substudy of a larger study on OA published in 2004.1.