Comment on: Varus malalignment negates the structure-modifying benefits of doxycycline in obese women with knee osteoarthritis.

摘要

In the current issue, Mazzuca et al} report, from a trial of the effect of doxycycline on medialjoint space narrowing, the results of posthoc treatment group comparisons in subgroups of varus and non-varus osteoarthritic knees. These analyses were undertaken to ascertain whether varus malalignment decreased the structure-modifying effect of doxycycline. The sample included 379 obese, 45-64-year old women with unilateral knee osteoarthritis (OA). Mazzuca et al. found that, in the non-varus osteoarthritic knees, 16-month joint space narrowing was 44% slower and 30-month narrowing was 39% slower in the doxycycline group than in the placebo group. In contrast, in the varus osteoarthritic knees, this difference was blunted; the rate of joint space narrowing was unaffected by doxycycline.