Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20847017›Full record

SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2010

Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis.

Simon Wandel, Peter Jüni, Britta Tendal, Eveline Nüesch, Peter M Villiger, Nicky J Welton, Stephan Reichenbach, Sven Trelle

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readNetwork Meta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03106584 (Investigating the Potential for Marigot's Nutrition Supplement to Improve Symptoms and Physical Function in Those With Mild to Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis), which is not on this map. Cited by 202 papers, 33 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
202citing papers in PubMed, 33 pooled it
30.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03106584 naunknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2017, after this paper: background citation

Investigating the Potential for Marigot's Nutrition Supplement to Improve Symptoms and Physical Function in Those With Mild to Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) Versus the Current Market Leader (Glucosamine Sulphate)

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity College DublinRan2017 to 2017Enrolled30ConditionsKnee OsteoarthritisArmsAquamin-Plus, Glucosamine sulphate
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

202 citing papers in PubMed, 33 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 567 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Low dose NSAIDs and sysadoas in the management of knee osteoarthritis.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025
    Pooled it
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  14. Guideline
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  16. Intra-Articular Viscosupplementation for Patients with Hip Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2019
    Pooled it
  17. Pooled it
  18. Pooled it
  19. Paracetamol versus placebo for knee and hip osteoarthritis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019
    Pooled it
  20. Pooled it

142 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Simon WandelInstitute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Peter Jüni
Britta Tendal
Eveline Nüesch
Peter M Villiger
Nicky J Welton
Stephan Reichenbach
Sven Trelle
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine · CHUniversity Hospital of Bern · CHCochrane · DKUniversity of Bristol · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council G0800800Medical Research Council G0802413
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine the effect of glucosamine, chondroitin, or the two in combination on joint pain and on radiological progression of disease in osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. Design Network meta-analysis. Direct comparisons within trials were combined with indirect evidence from other trials by using a Bayesian model that allowed the synthesis of multiple time points.

main outcome measurePain intensity. Secondary outcome was change in minimal width of joint space. The minimal clinically important difference between preparations and placebo was prespecified at -0.9 cm on a 10 cm visual analogue scale. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases and conference proceedings from inception to June 2009, expert contact, relevant websites. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Large scale randomised controlled trials in more than 200 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip that compared glucosamine, chondroitin, or their combination with placebo or head to head. Results 10 trials in 3803 patients were included. On a 10 cm visual analogue scale the overall difference in pain intensity compared with placebo was -0.4 cm (95% credible interval -0.7 to -0.1 cm) for glucosamine, -0.3 cm (-0.7 to 0.0 cm) for chondroitin, and -0.5 cm (-0.9 to 0.0 cm) for the combination. For none of the estimates did the 95% credible intervals cross the boundary of the minimal clinically important difference. Industry independent trials showed smaller effects than commercially funded trials (P=0.02 for interaction). The differences in changes in minimal width of joint space were all minute, with 95% credible intervals overlapping zero. Conclusions Compared with placebo, glucosamine, chondroitin, and their combination do not reduce joint pain or have an impact on narrowing of joint space. Health authorities and health insurers should not cover the costs of these preparations, and new prescriptions to patients who have not received treatment should be discouraged.

Indexed as

Anti-Inflammatory AgentsChondroitinGlucosamineOsteoarthritis, HipOsteoarthritis, KneeHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment OutcomeAnti-Inflammatory AgentsChondroitinGlucosamine

Identifiers

PMID20847017
PMCPMC2941572
OpenAlexW2161739351

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.