COMMON CAUSES OF THE PROGRESSION OF PAIN SYNDROME IN OSTEOARTHRITIS AND A DECREASE IN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THERAPY (clinical case)

Abstract

Relevance. Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of joint disease in the world's population over 60 years of age. In some patients, severe arthralgia with disease progression persists despite protective measures taken to improve quality of life.
Goal. Identifying comorbid conditions in patients with osteoarthritis and evaluating the effectiveness of basic drugs in the complex treatment of comorbid diseases.
Research methods. The article presents clinical cases of patients with severe pain syndrome in order to verify the diagnosis of "osteoarthritis" and identify the causal factors of the progression of degenerative changes. Conventional laboratory tests, immunological tests, and instrumental studies (ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and kidneys, ultrasound Doppler imaging of vessels, radiography of joints, MRI of the spine) were carried out. All patients received therapy for the underlying disease and comorbid conditions, per current clinical protocols. Then, the obtained data were compared with reference indicators.
Results. Based on the examination results, comorbid conditions in osteoarthritis were identified, and disease-modifying therapy was prescribed, taking into account concomitant diseases.
Discussion. Associated pathologies worsening the functional state of the musculoskeletal system were identified. All the mentioned cohorts had metabolic disorders, changes in the microcirculatory bed, and neuromuscular syndrome, which aggravated degenerative changes in the cartilaginous tissue of the joints, increased pain, and reduced the effectiveness of therapeutic measures.
Conclusions. According to clinical observations, complex treatment, including NSAIDs, chondroprotective drugs, and adequate therapy for comorbid conditions, demonstrated high efficiency with the improvement of subjective indicators and the disease prognosis.