RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Cetylated fatty acids improve knee function in patients with osteoarthritis.
JF The Journal of Rheumatology
JO J Rheumatol
FD The Journal of Rheumatology
SP 1708
OP 1712
VO 29
IS 8
A1 Robert Hesslink, Jr
A1 David Armstrong, 3rd
A1 M V Nagendran
A1 Srinan Sreevatsan
A1 Raj Barathur
YR 2002
UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/29/8/1708.abstract
AB OBJECTIVE: To determine the benefit of cetylated fatty acids (CFA) on knee range of motion and function in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Sixty-four patients with chronic knee OA were evaluated at baseline and at 30 and 68 days after consuming either placebo (vegetable oil; n = 31) or CFA (Celadrin; n = 33). Evaluations included physician assessment, knee range of motion with goniometry, and the Lequesne Algofunctional Index (LAI). RESULTS: After 68 days, patients treated with CFA exhibited significant (p < 0.001) increase in knee flexion (10.1 degrees) compared to patients given placebo (1.1 degrees). Neither group reported improvement in knee extension. Patient responses to the LAI indicated a significant (p < 0.001) shift towards functional improvement for the CFA group (-5.4 points) after 68 days compared to a modest improvement in the placebo group (-2.1 points). CONCLUSION: Compared to placebo, CFA provides an improvement in knee range of motion and overall function in patients with OA of the knee. CFA may be an alternative to the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for the treatment of OA.