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Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Mar;42(3):889-902.
doi: 10.1007/s10067-022-06402-w. Epub 2022 Oct 12.

Efficacy and safety of colchicine for the treatment of osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials

Ambrish Singh #  1 , Pablo Molina-Garcia #  2   3 , Salman Hussain  4 , Alok Paul  5 , Siddharth Kumar Das  6 , Ying-Ying Leung  7 , Catherine L Hill  8   9 , Debashish Danda  10 , Jonathan Samuels  11 , Benny Antony  12
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Efficacy and safety of colchicine for the treatment of osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention trials

Ambrish Singh et al. Clin Rheumatol. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: Colchicine, an approved treatment for gout, has been trialed in many diseases including osteoarthritis (OA) due to its anti-inflammatory effects. However, its efficacy and safety remain unclear in OA. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of colchicine for the treatment of OA.

Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Central were searched from inception through September 2022. Two reviewers independently screened for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing colchicine with placebo or other active comparators for the treatment of OA (knee, hand, or hip OA), extracted data, and performed Cochrane risk of bias assessments.

Result: Nine RCTs for the knee OA and one for the hand OA were identified, consisting of 847 patients (429 in colchicine arms, 409 in control arms). The studies were conducted between 2002 and 2021 with follow-up periods ranging from 2 to 12 months, in India, Iran, Turkey, Australia, Singapore, and Iraq. Moderate-quality evidence showed no clinically important pain reduction with colchicine compared to control (standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], - 0.55, 0.22). Moderate-quality evidence showed no improvement in function with colchicine compared to control in knee OA patients (SMD, - 0.37; 95% CI, - 0.87, 0.13). Colchicine showed an acceptable safety profile with AEs/SAEs comparable to control.

Conclusion: Current evidence does not suggest a benefit of colchicine in reducing pain and improving physical function in the overall cohort of hand/knee OA patients. Future trials should focus on the subgroups of OA patients with local or systemic inflammation and/or mineralization who might benefit from colchicine.

Keywords: Calcium pyrophosphate; Chondrocalcinosis; Colchicine; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis knee.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart describing method and inclusion of studies
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cochrane risk of bias assessment
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Pooled standardized mean difference for change in osteoarthritis-associated pain
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Pooled standardized mean difference for change in knee osteoarthritis-associated dysfunction
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Adverse effects of colchicine
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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