Research and evaluation of convenience, tolerability, safety and effects by practitioners of the use of sodium hyaluronate with a molecular weight of 2-2.5 mDа

Abstract

One of the main methods of treating osteoarthritis is the use of intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate, often called by doctors hyaluronic acid. The purpose of the work was to evaluate the convenience of administration and the effectiveness of the hyaluronic acid preparation (Flexotron® Plus) in real clinical practice. This article summarizes the practical experience of a very wide use by doctors in 382 patients of sodium hyaluronate with a molecular weight of 2-2.5 mDa (Flexotron® Plus). The study was observational in nature. Practitioners, in the course of their routine practice, administered a registered hyaluronic acid product called Flexotron® Plus twice with a one-week break; one week after the second injection, participants completed a standardized questionnaire that included questions about convenience, adverse effects, complications, and physicians' opinions about the effectiveness of therapy, its effect on pain and range of motion, and its safety. Also, based on the data of Japanese scientists S. Gotoh, J. Onaya, M. Abe, hyaluronic acid with a weight of 2-2.5 mDa should give the best analgesic effect due to a decrease in the level of bradykinin, we decided to check this conclusion. The average age of patients who received hyaluronic acid was 55.05 ± 11.8 years, of which 159 people (41.6%) were men, and 223 people (58.4%) were women. The vast majority – 82.7% of patients – had knee osteoarthritis. According to doctors, 89.7% of patients after the end of the course of treatment experienced a decrease in symptoms, the number of adverse reactions – namely, unexpressed pain after the introduction of the product into the joint did not exceed 4% and was of a short-term nature. Hyaluronic acid therapy is an effective and safe treatment for osteoarthritis. Flexotron® Plus has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and good results as assessed by practitioners on a large patient sample – 382 people. As the questionnaire data showed, most doctors noted complete or partial relief of pain, which confirmed the conclusions of S. Gotoh, J. Onaya, M. Abe.