To assess the efficacy of intra-articular
hyaluronic acid in patients with
knee osteoarthritis, sixty female patients with
knee osteoarthritis were randomised to three weekly
intra-articular injections of 30 mg
sodium hyaluronate (Na HA) with a high molecular weight (1.0 to 2.9 million Da) or 40 mg
6-methylprednisolone acetate (6-MPA). The clinical assessments included
pain at rest, at weight-bearing and on walking, Lequesne Index and active range of knee flexion. Assessments were done at baseline, at week 4, and at months 3 and 6. A significant decrease in VAS scores for
pain at rest, at weight-bearing and
pain on walking, and in Lequesne index was found in both groups at week 4 when compared to baseline and there was no significant differences between the two groups. However, at 3(rd) month improvement in all
pain scores and Lequesne index was found in favour of
hyaluronic acid. At 6(th), no significant difference was found between the treatment groups. Improvement in
pain was accompanied by an increase in joint flexion at week 4 and at month 3 in both groups. Both treatments were well-tolerated. The results showed that both intra-articular
hyaluronic acid and 6-MPA treatments provide clinically significant improvement and demonstrated that Na HA has a long-term beneficial effect in patients with
knee osteoarthritis.