Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Values are n (%) unless otherwise specified.
| Characteristic | TH, n = 50 | MA, n = 50 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 49 (98) | 45 (90) | 0.204 |
| Age, yrs, mean (SD) | 64.8 (8.3) | 66.2 (8.2) | 0.387 |
| Disease duration, yrs, mean (SD) | 7.9 (6.0) | 8.3 (7.4) | 0.770 |
| BMI, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 28.8 (2.7) | 28.5 (2.8) | 0.246 |
| Kellgren-Lawrence grade | 0.648 | ||
| II | 12 (24) | 14 (28) | |
| III | 38 (76) | 36 (72) | |
| Joint effusion* | 19 (38) | 18 (36) | 1.0 |
| Concomitant analgesic use | 22 (44) | 16 (32) | 0.303 |
| Concomitant NSAID use | 25 (50) | 28 (56) | 0.689 |
| Concomitant opioid analgesic use | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 1.0 |
| Concomitant chondroprotective agent use† | 2 (4) | 2 (4) | 1.0 |
| Patient’s pain assessment, 0–100 mm VAS, mean (SD) | 82.7 (18.7) | 78.5 (19.5) | 0.269 |
| PtGA, 0–100 mm VAS, mean (SD) | 83.1 (18.9) | 75.8 (26.6) | 0.115 |
| PGA, 0–100 mm VAS, mean (SD) | 74.4 (15.8) | 72.1 (18.2) | 0.493 |
| PtGA, Likert scale | 0.772 | ||
| Very mild | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Mild | 1 (2) | 3 (6) | |
| Moderate | 20 (40) | 17 (34) | |
| Severe | 25 (50) | 25 (50) | |
| Very severe | 4 (8) | 5 (10) | |
| WOMAC, 0–96 points, points (SD) | 53.1 (17.2) | 49.8 (19.7) | 0.371 |
| Lequesne index | 0.613 | ||
| Mild | 0 (0) | 1 (2) | |
| Moderate | 1 (2) | 4 (8) | |
| Severe | 4 (8) | 3 (6) | |
| Very severe | 22 (44) | 20 (40) | |
| Extremely severe | 23 (46) | 22 (44) |
↵* Detected by arthrocentesis.
↵† Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate (2 MA), glucosamine sulphate (1 TH), and diacerein (1 TH). TH: triamcinolone hexacetonide; MA: methylprednisolone acetate; BMI: body mass index; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug; VAS: visual analog scale; PtGA: patient’s global assessment; PGA: physician’s global assessment; WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index.