Riassunto dello studio

Sixty-four elderly patients diagnosed with hand osteoarthritis (OA) were randomized to receive 1 mg/day of colchicine (n=32) tablets or placebo tablets (n=32) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome of interest included hand pain measured using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), assessed at 6, 12 and 16 weeks follow-up. Secondary outcomes of interest included hand grip strength, tender and swollen joint (TSJ) count, the Michigan Hand Questionnaire (MHQ) and its associated subscores (total, function, and pain), levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), levels of creatinine kinase (CK), and liver enzyme levels (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], aspartate aminotransferase [AST]). All secondary outcomes were measured at 12 weeks follow-up. Results revealed that mean VAS pain scores were not statistically significantly different between the colchicine group or placebo at any of the timepoints (p>0.05 for all). Furthermore, none of the secondary outcomes were statistically significantly different between the colchicine and control groups (p>0.05 for all). A total of 34 adverse events were observed at 16 weeks follow-up (12 in placebo group; 22 in colchicine group).