TITLE:
Flexofytol® (A Belgian Curcumin Extract) for the Treatment of Aged Patients with Osteoarthritis and Comorbidity
AUTHORS:
Sandra De Breucker, Héloïse Rouvière, Christian Mélot, Thierry Appelboom
KEYWORDS:
Lumbar Arthrosis, Knee Osteoarthritis, Curcumin, Flexofytol®, Geriatrics
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Rheumatology and Autoimmune Diseases,
Vol.7 No.4,
November
10,
2017
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Currently, the therapeutic arsenal of
osteoarthritis includes several extracts of Curcuma including Flexofytol®,
a bio-optimized extract of Curcuma longa.
However, in older patients, indications for treatment might be limited by
comorbidity and polymedication. Therefore, we aimed to assess the benefits and
risks of Flexofytol®, in an older population
with comorbidities. Patients and Methods: This retrospective observational
study included 31 patients over age 70 years (medianage: 77 years, range 71 - 81)
that were treated with Flexofytol for painful osteoarthritis of the knee or
lumbar spine. These patients were initially weakened by diabetes (48%) and/or
renal insufficiency (71%), or they were taking anticoagulants (35%). The
effects of Flexofytol®, were evaluated at 0, 6
and 12 weeks with visual analog scales for pain and disability and the SF-12
Quality of Life questionnaire. Adverse effects and drug interactions of
Flexofytol®, were evaluated. In particular, we
evaluated renal function, diabetes parameters and coagulation tests. The data
were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and
Wilcoxon-Mann-Withney non-parametric tests. Results: Patients with
Flexofytol®, showed significant improvement:
pain improved by 50% (p = 0.0002) and functional disability improved by 33% (p =
0.0075). A series of quality of life parameters improved within the first 6
weeks of treatment and up to 3 months of treatment without impacting renal
function, metabolic parameters or coagulation tests. We observed no significant
adverse effects. Conclusion: In conclusion, our results suggested that
Flexofytol®, may be useful in the management of
painful osteoarthritis, particularly in older patients that are fragile due to
comorbidity and polymedication. These initial results must be confirmed in
future studies.