Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) is well known to improved pain and function in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) [1,2]. As for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with knee osteoarthritis, current medication for injection therapy includes steroid, hyaluronic acid, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In this article, we collected current studies regarding to this issue and suggest future possible research direction.
Intra-articular corticosteroid injection is long to be known as a useful adjunct therapy for the management of RA. Intra-articular injection of corticosteroid has been shown to provide clinical benefit up to 6 months and even longer [3]. From a pharmacological point of view, corticosteroid injection is able to decrease the expression of citrullinated proteins, monoclonal antibody F95, and peptidylarginine deiminase [4] in RA synovium, and the side effect is low. According to the subanalyses from the BeSt study, [4] eight-year radiographs showed similar damage in injected joints and noninjected joints. From a clinical point of view, corticosteroid injection remains a safe and cost effective way for managing RA-related OA.
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