Observational studyBMC musculoskeletal disorders2025
Limited effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on imaging outcomes in osteoarthritis: observational data from the osteoarthritis initiative (OAI).
Observational study in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Neuroregulatory mechanism of heat-sensitive moxibustion on the Dubi acupoint (ST 35) in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study.Frontiers in neurologyTrial
- Naringin Alleviates Knee Osteoarthritis by Targeting TNF-α and PTGS2: An Integrated Network Pharmacology, Molecular Simulation, and Experimental Validation Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Article
- Heterogeneity in osteoarthritis radiotherapy: unresolved questions and the need for joint-specific evidence.Rheumatology international · 2025Article
- Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Resveratrol.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly prescribed for pain relief in osteoarthritis (OA), and their anti-inflammatory effects may play a role in shaping the disease course. The aim of this investigation was to examine the relationship between new use of prescription NSAIDs and changes in imaging biomarkers of synovitis in the knee, and to evaluate the association of NSAID use with structural cartilage damage over a period of four years.
methodsApplying a new user design to identify treatment effects in observational data, we selected participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) who were prescribed regular, oral NSAID medication between baseline and 48 months follow-up and who had available 3T MRIs of the right knee with whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score (WORMS) readings as well as semi-quantitative assessments of synovitis for both timepoints. These individuals were frequency-matched with non-NSAID users matching for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), baseline Kellgren & Lawrence (KL) grade, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) scores, and for the presence of an inflammatory imaging phenotype at baseline. Ordinal regression analyses and marginal estimated means were used to determine the effect of NSAID use on structural imaging outcomes, controlling for age, gender, BMI, and non-prescription NSAID use.
resultsIn this longitudinal analysis over 48 months, 142 individuals met prespecified criteria for new NSAID exposure, and 707 matched controls were identified. Regression analyses did not show a significant association between new NSAID use and changes in effusion-synovitis, Hoffa's synovitis, or synovial proliferation scores over 4 years. However, NSAID users showed a significantly slower progression of cartilage lesions as measured by WORMS grading; this effect was marginally more pronounced in participants with an inflammatory imaging phenotype (beta - 0.92; p = 0.043) than in the population overall (beta - 0.48; p = 0.020).
conclusionNew NSAID use was not associated with MRI-detected synovitis over 4 years but had a modest association with reduced structural cartilage damage progression. This effect was more pronounced in individuals with an inflammatory imaging phenotype.
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