The Role of Colchicine in Treatment of knee Osteoarthritic Patients

Background: The treatment of osteoarthritis was analgesia, and physiotherapy with intra-articular steroid injection improved the symptoms of the disease. It was found that cartilage damage will enhance an inflammatory process.
Aim: This study assesses the adjuvant effect of treatment with colchicine and analgesia in knee osteoarthritis.
Methods: This study includes 60 patients confirmed to have osteoarthritis of knee joints as diagnosed by a rheumatologist. Blood tests include ESR and CRP as inflammatory markers. We divided the patients into two groups matching age and gender; the duration of treatment and follow-up was 8 weeks. The first group enrolled 30 patients who received paracetamol (2 g/day) with physiotherapy; the other group enrolled 30 patients who received colchicine with a dosage of 0.5 mg daily and analgesics (2 g/day) and physiotherapy for the same period.
Results: Colchicine had significantly improved knee pain by 44.7%. Visual Analogue Scale-pain score (45.20 12.9 to 24.9 12.9, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Colchicine appears to be useful for treating knee osteoarthritis. It improves pain and decreases the need for joint replacement.