Does the combination of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine delay the cartilage destruction in ochronopathy?

Abstract

Dear Editors, We have read with great interest and appreciation the article entitled ‘‘Ochronosis, arthroscopy of a black knee: a case report and review of the literature’’ by Raaijmaakers et al. [8]. In their case report, they are reporting a patient first diagnosed by arthroscopy of the knee and saying that glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate seem to have a positive effect on the complaints caused by ochronotic arthropathy. As far as we know, this case report is not the third case in the literature that the diagnosis was made by arthroscopy of the knee. This is the fourth case in the literature. The first case in the literature has been reported by Lurie and Musil [6] in 1984. They described a case of monoarticular knee arthritis in a 52-year-old woman in whom the diagnosis of ochronosis was suggested by arthroscopy. The authors say that they diagnosed the patient using her clinic-arthroscopic and laboratory findings but did not provide information about the histopathologic findings. Did they have any pathologic specimen from this case? If there were not any positive findings with laboratory tests, what would they do without a pathologic specimen? There are a few conditions in which this type of blackish discoloration of articular surfaces of bones occurs. These are given as follows: (a) Ochronosis (alkaptonuria), (b) Chronic phenol poisoning, (c) Burns, (d) Artifact, (e) Drugs [9].