Intra-articular hyaluronic acid delays total knee replacement in with knee osteoarthritis: evidence from a large U.S health claims database

Intra-articular hyaluronic acid delays total knee replacement (TKR) in with knee osteoarthritis

Article specifications

This retrospective analysis was published in 2015 in Journal of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage (IF 2014:4.165) by American specialist. To evaluate the impact of one or more courses of treatment with intraarticular (IA) hyaluronate (HA) compared to no IA HA injections on the time to total knee replacement (TKR) on patients with osteoarthritis (OA), using a large administrative claims database. The database included 182,022 patients with knee OA and TKR. Of these, 131,673 (72.3%) patients had no HA, and 50,349 (27.7%) received at least one course of IA HA.

Results

Among 182,022 patients with knee OA, those who received IA HA had a significantly longer time before TKR. More courses of IA HA injections were associated with a longer time to TKR. This study suggests a significant clinical benefit from use of IA HA for OA as delay in time to TKR can have important clinical and economic implications.