Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip
Authors: Sven Trelle, Stephan Reichenbach, Peter Jüni
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2007)

Letters18 December 2007Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis of the Knee or HipSven Trelle, MD, Stephan Reichenbach, MD, and Peter Jüni, MDSven Trelle, MDFrom University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this author, Stephan Reichenbach, MDFrom University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this author, and Peter Jüni, MDFrom University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-12-200712180-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:As correctly pointed out by Dr. Goldberg and colleagues, our meta-analysis was hampered by the limited quality of included trials and the heterogeneity of their results. Therefore, the interpretation of the meta-analysis of all trials was difficult and the investigation of potential sources of heterogeneity mandatory (1). The restriction of the analysis to large-scale, high-quality trials covering 40% of patients was not based on subjective judgment, but on results from stratified analyses and corresponding interaction tests. All explored factors were prespecified before initiating our systematic review. The 3 factors associated with treatment effects—concealment of allocation, intention-to-treat analysis, and ...References1. Thompson SG. Why sources of heterogeneity in meta-analysis should be investigated. BMJ. 1994;309:1351-5. [PMID: 7866085] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Jüni P, Altman DG, Egger M. Systematic reviews in health care: Assessing the quality of controlled clinical trials. BMJ. 2001;323:42-6. [PMID: 11440947] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Kjaergard LL, Villumsen J, Gluud C. Reported methodologic quality and discrepancies between large and small randomized trials in meta-analyses. Ann Intern Med. 2001;135:982-9. [PMID: 11730399] LinkGoogle Scholar4. Nasonova VA, Alekseeva LI, Arkhangel'skaia GS, Davydova AF, Karmil'tseva EA, Kogan KM, et al. [Results of the multicenter clinical trial of structum preparation in Russia]. Ter Arkh. 2001;73:84-7. [PMID: 11806217] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Altman R, Brandt K, Hochberg M, Moskowitz R, Bellamy N, Bloch DA, et al. Design and conduct of clinical trials in patients with osteoarthritis: recommendations from a task force of the Osteoarthritis Research Society. Results from a workshop. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 1996;4:217-43. [PMID: 11048620] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Kahan A, Reginster JY, Vignon E. STOPP (STudy on Osteoarthritis Progression Prevention): a new two-year trial with chondroitin 4&6 sulfate (CS) [Abstract]. Accessed at www.ibsa-ch.com/eular_2006_amsterdam_vignon-2.pdf on 18 September 2006. Google Scholar7. Michel BA, Stucki G, Frey D, De Vathaire F, Vignon E, Bruehlmann P, et al. Chondroitins 4 and 6 sulfate in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:779-86. [PMID: 15751094] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Clegg DO, Reda DJ, Harris CL, Klein MA, O'Dell JR, Hooper MM, et al. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:795-808. [PMID: 16495392] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Sven Trelle, MD; Stephan Reichenbach, MD; Peter Jüni, MDAffiliations: From University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoReported Methodologic Quality and Discrepancies between Large and Small Randomized Trials in Meta-Analyses Lise L. Kjaergard , John Villumsen , and Christian Gluud Meta-analysis: Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip Stephan Reichenbach , Rebekka Sterchi , Martin Scherer , Sven Trelle , Elizabeth Bürgi , Ulrich Bürgi , Paul A. Dieppe , and Peter Jüni Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip Harley Goldberg , Andrew Avins , and Stephen Bent Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip Jean-Pierre Pelletier Chondroitin for Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip Michael D. Levin Metrics 18 December 2007Volume 147, Issue 12Page: 884-885KeywordsChondroitinDrugsFactor analysisFoodHipIntent to treat analysisKneesOsteoarthritisPatientsSystematic reviews ePublished: 18 December 2007 Issue Published: 18 December 2007 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2007 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...