Objective: To compare Nimesulide alone with Nimesulide and Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) as adjunct therapy in the management of osteoarthritis. Design: Single-blind controlled therapeutic trial. Setting: Out Patient Department of Quezon City General Hospital. Study Subjects: Patients aged 40 years old and above who satisfied the clinical criteria for osteoarthritis. Interventions: A total of 30 out of 39 patients aged 42-82 from the QCGH Out Patient Department were included in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either the Control Group - Nimesulide only taken on as needed basis for four weeks or the Treatment Group - Nimesulide and Green Tea (Camellia sinensis), the former taken on an as needed basis, while the latter taken three times a day for four weeks upon enrollment in the study. Both groups contained 15 patients each. Using the Epi-Info, Epistal and SPSS softwares, the sociodemographic characteristics and the efficacy of Green Tea as an adjunct therapy were analyzed and compared, as well as the occurrence of adverse events observed between the two treatment groups. Cost-effectiveness of Green Tea as adjunct treatment was measured using the mean treatment cost as compared to Nimesulide only treatment. Results: Thirty patients completed the study. The mean age of the Control Group is 62 and 58 for Treatment Group. There were more females than males in both groups at 67 percent and 80 percent, respectively. A big part of the study subjects for the Control Group were laborers 7 (46.7 percent) and housewives 5 (33.3 percent) for the Treatment Group. As to body mass index, most of the patients belonged to Obese Class I, 53.3 percent and 40 percent, respectively. The most commonly involved joint for both groups was the knee (33.3 percent, 46.7 percent, respectively). Pain control improved in both groups as shown by a decreasing trend in Visual Analog Scale scores but difference between the two was not statistically significant. Improvement in functionality was observed in both groups as evidenced by decreasing scores in Functional Capacity Scoring System but the difference between the two groups became statistically significant after the 3rd and 4th weeks of treatment. There was also an improvement in the degree of pain control in both groups as seen by a decreasing amount of Nimesulide used and the difference between the two was statistically significant. Three patients from the Control Group had untoward symptoms during the course of treatment compared to only one from the Treatment Group. Three from the Control Group presented with gastrointestinal symptoms most probably due to the Nimesulide being taken, while the patient from the Treatment Group experienced insomnia on the 4"1 week of treatment. However, difference between the two groups was not significant. As to the total cost of the entire treatment (4 weeks), the Treatment Group had Php2.37 more than the Control Group. Conclusion: This study showed that Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an effective, safe and cost-effective adjunct therapy in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged 80 and over ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; OSTEOARTHRITIS ; PLANTS, MEDICINAL ; NIMESULIDE