Injection of your own serum gives better relief than steroids.

OC38 EFFICACY STUDY OF THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS-INDUCED KNEE PAIN WITH AUTOLOGOUS CONDITIONED SERUM: A COMPARATIVE, PROSPECTIVE AND RANDOMIZEDSTUDY D. W. Hang1 1Shin Kong Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute, Taipei, Taiwan, Province of China Objective: To compare the efficacy of the standardized injection therapies of (1) autologous conditioned serum (ACS) against (2) corticosteroid in patients with bilateral knee pain secondary to osteoarthritis. Material and Methods:34patients(N=68knees)withbilateral knee pain secondary to osteoarthritis were followed prospectively after intra-articular knee injection of either corticosteroid (group 1) or ACS (group 2). Every patient received a series of six intra-articular injections with ACS into one of the randomly selected knee over a three week period. The other contra-lateral knee received a one-time only standard regime of corticosteroid injections (dexamethasone). Results: In group 1, 23.5 % of the 34 knees experienced 50100 % pain reduction at 12 months after injection. Average VAS pain relief was 41.0 %. The WOMAC score showed significant (p Conclusion: Therapy with both steroid and ACS effectively reduces pain in osteoarthritic knees. Both treatments have beneficial effects on pain, function, and mobility in osteoarthritic knees. In addition, the risk profile is minimal for both treatment regimens.

A Comparative, Prospective and Randimised Study with Autologous Conditioned Serum (Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Containing Serum) and Corticosteroid for Treatment of Osteoarthritic Knee. Abstract OC38

MILAN, Italy — April1, 2015 — Intra-articular injections of autologous conditioned serum (ACS) are effective and safe compared with a corticosteroid for the treatment of mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis, according to prospective trial results presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (WCO).

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is the main cytokine responsible for the pathophysiological processes underlying cartilage destruction. Conversely, an IL-1 receptor antagonist is a naturally occurring 25-kDa glycoprotein cytokine that can decrease cartilage destruction through antagonism of IL-1 effects. Based on this knowledge, “a new technique was developed to produce a serum containing high concentrations of autologous IL-1 receptor antagonist,” stated lead investigator David W. Hang, MD, Shin Kong Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Institute, Taipei, Taiwan, China, speaking here on March 29.

The production of this IL-1 antagonist-containing serum, or ACS, is based on the concept of cell adherence, in which direct contact between monocytes in the blood and specially etched glass beads stimulates production of the autologous cytokine by monocytes.

Dr. Hang and colleagues produced ACS by the glass-bead treatment of 60 mL of blood from 34 patients with bilateral knee pain secondary to osteoarthritis (mean age, 61.3 years), providing 68 knees for evaluation. Production of ACS resulted in increased mean IL-1 receptor antagonist levels in this serum from 270 pg/mL at baseline to 4,051.3 pg/mL after 24 hours (mean ratio: 15.9).

For each patient, the researchers randomised 1 knee to 2 ml ACS as 6 biweekly intra-articular injections. The contralateral knee, as a comparator, received a single injection of 5 mg 5% dexamethasone (1 mL) and 2% xylocaine (1 mL).

Efficacy (defined at 12 months as >50% reduction in visual analogue scale [VAS] pain score) was achieved in 67.6% of ACS-injected knees, compared with 23.5% of corticosteroid-injected knees. Similarly, the mean percentage reduction in VAS pain scores at 12 months demonstrated greater benefit for ACS-injected knees (56.2% vs 41.0%).

For the VAS and Western Ontario McMaster (WOMAC) scores assessed over 3, 6, and 12 months, at all times there were significant improvements over baseline for ACS (P < .0001 for all) and corticosteroid (P < .001 for all). ACS generally provided significant benefits over corticosteroid across these assessments for VAS pain score and WOMAC function and pain scores (P < .05).

In the safety analysis, Dr Hang noted that, “The average side effects were 26% for the steroid group and 7% for the ACS group, but [side effects] were all transient, and were resolved in a few hours.”

Dr Hang also noted possible synergistic effects on the contralateral knee that he feels require further study. “The long-term effectiveness and the histological effects of ACS on cartilage remain to be determined,” he stated.

WCO is sponsored by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO).