[Therapeutic strategies in erosive digital polyarthrosis].

One of the most common forms of osteoarthritis is hand osteoarthritis. A subgroup, termed erosive hand osteoarthritis (EHOA), shows a highly destructive disease course with involvement of multiple joints, swelling as well as cartilage and bone destruction leading to progressive loss of hand function. EHOA is characterized by subchondral erosions of the finger joints as well as ankylosis. No disease modifying therapy is currently available for the treatment of EHOA and treatment options are confined to the control of symptoms. Acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat the signs and symptoms. So far cytokine blocking agents have not shown a convincing therapeutic effect and the effect size of chondroitin sulfate and bisphosphonates in EOHA is small.