Glukozamina – pomoc w leczeniu osteoartrozy

*Elżbieta Studzińska-Sroka, Wiesława Bylka

Summary
Osteoarthrosis is a frequent disease of joints. It is defined as a set of changes in the structure and function of the elements making up joints, which has its origin in the imbalance between anabolic and catabolic processes in articular cartilage. In the treatment of osteoarthrosis, physical exercise and pharmacotherapy are used. In the therapy of this disease, glucosamine is used. Glucosamine is produced in human body but is not present in the food consumed. Because of that its delivery to the organism requires supplementation of medicinal products. The mechanism of glucosamine activity is not completely understood. There are studies whose results show that cartilage cells embed glucosamine molecules in the chains of glycosaminoglycans. However, other studies contradict this conception. It is known that a dose sufficient to achieve the therapeutic effect is 1500 mg/day. It has also been found that glucosamine sulphate has a very low level of toxicity and is well tolerated even in very large doses of glucosamine (5000-15000 mg/kg) after oral administration. Glucosamine is a substance that can be safely used during pregnancy because it does not increase the risk of the appearance of malformations in the fetus. The effectiveness of commercially available products containing glucosamine differs, which could also affect the differences in clinical outcomes.

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