Oral glucosamine sulphate in the management of arthrosis: report on a multi-centre open investigation in Portugal.

An open study was carried out by 252 doctors throughout Portugal to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of oral glucosamine sulphate in the treatment of arthrosis. Patients received 1.5 g daily in 3 divided doses over a mean period of 50 +/- 14 days. The results from 1208 patients were analyzed and showed that the symptoms of pain at rest, on standing and on exercise and limited active and passive movements improved steadily through the treatment period. The improvement obtained lasted for a period of 6 to 12 weeks after the end of treatment. Objective therapeutic efficacy was rated by the doctors as 'good' in 59% of patients, and 'sufficient' in a further 36%. These results were significantly better than those obtained with previous treatments (except for injectable glucosamine) in the same patients. Sex, age, localization of arthrosis, concomitant illnesses or concomitant treatments did not influence the frequency of responders to treatment. Oral glucosamine was fully tolerated by 86% of patients, a significantly larger proportion than that reported with other previous treatments and approached only by injectable glucosamine. The onset of possible side-effects was significantly related to pre-existing gastro-intestinal disorders and related treatments, and to concomitant diuretic treatment.