Abstract
BackgroundOsteoarthritis (OA) is the commonest form of inflammatory joint disease. Unfortunately, to date, there is no appropriate treatment for OA. Boswellia serrata was considered as a potent anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic and analgesic agent that may be a drug for OA.MethodsIn this meta-analysis, data from randomized controlled trials were obtained to assess the effects of Boswellia or its extract versus placebo or western medicine in patients with OA. The primary outcomes included visual analogue score (VAS), WOMAC pain, WOMAC stiffness, WOMAC function and lequesne index.ResultSeven trials involving 545 patients were included. Compared with the control group, Boswellia and its extract may relieve the pain [VAS: (WMD -8.33; 95% CI -11.19, − 5.46; P<0.00001); WOMAC pain: (WMD -14.22; 95% CI -22.34, − 6.09; P = 0. 0006)] and stiffness [WOMAC stiffness: (WMD -10.04; 95% CI -15.86, − 4.22; P = 0. 0007)], and improve the joint’s function [WOMAC function: (WMD -10.75; 95% CI -15.06, − 6.43; P<0. 00001); lequesne index: (WMD -2.27; 95% CI -3.08, − 1.45; P<0. 00001)].ConclusionBased on current evidence, Boswellia and its extract may be an effective and safe treatment option for patient with OA, and the recommended duration of treatment with Boswellia and its extract is at least 4 weeks.
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the commonest form of inflammatory joint disease
Sequence generation Among the 7 included Randomized controlled trials (RCT), three studies [35,36,37] adopted unclear randomization procedures, we rated it as having an unclear risk of bias
It can be found that in improving visual analogue score (VAS), Boswellia is better (WMD -8.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) -11.19, − 5.46; P
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the commonest form of inflammatory joint disease. Osteoarthritis (OA) is an inflammatory joint disease that mainly damages articular cartilage. In China, as of 2015, there were 120 million people with arthritis in mainland. With an incidence rate of about 13%, of which the number of people suffering from OA is the largest [4]. The drugs for OA pain are mainly non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) and specific (COX-2) cyclooxygenase II inhibitors [8]. These drugs may be expensive or cause stomach bleeding, and cannot repair cartilage and treat subchondral damage [8,9,10]. Due to the high incidence of NSAID-related adverse events, there is an urgent need for a safer and effective alternative to OA
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