Osteoarthritis is a persistent issue that plagues millions around the world, causing joint pain severe enough to necessitate joint replacements.
As it stands, there are no known medications to prevent or reverse this condition.
However, a team of international researchers from China, Taiwan, and Australia have come up with a potential game-changer.
The Research: Exploring the Role of Metformin
This team’s aim was to determine if the use of metformin – a common drug for type 2 diabetes – could be linked to a lower risk of knee or hip replacements (TKR or THR).
Their findings could be a groundbreaking contribution to the battle against osteoarthritis, as up until now, research on the subject has been limited and inconclusive.
Study Design: Comparing Diabetes Patients
The researchers carried out their study by looking at data from nearly 70,000 people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan between 2000 and 2012.
They compared the risk of needing a joint replacement between those taking metformin and those not.
The average age of the participants was 63, and half of them were women. It’s worth noting that about 90% of total joint replacements are due to osteoarthritis.
Findings: Metformin Users and Joint Replacements
The team discovered that those taking metformin had a significantly lower risk of needing a joint replacement.
This suggests that metformin might have a therapeutic effect on patients with osteoarthritis, according to Dr. Changhai Ding from the Clinical Research Center of Zhujiang Hospital in Guangzhou, China, and his co-authors.
What’s Next: More Research Required
While these findings are promising, more research is required to confirm the potential benefits of metformin for osteoarthritis patients.
The authors recommend randomized controlled trials to ascertain if metformin use is effective in patients with osteoarthritis.
If the trials are successful, it could herald a new era in the treatment of this widespread condition.
Osteoarthritis is a severe condition that affects millions of people globally, often resulting in the need for joint replacements.
The discovery of metformin’s potential therapeutic effects on osteoarthritis patients could be a significant breakthrough in medical science, potentially preventing the need for many painful and invasive surgeries.
Further research is required, but the prospects are certainly encouraging.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about common causes of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and Zinc may be key to better diabetes treatments.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about why people with diabetes develop severe COVID-19, and results showing this diabetes drug could treat lung inflammation in COVID-19.
The study was published in Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
