Background: The aim of this 4-week pilot registry, supplement study was to assess the effects of Pycnogenol® compared to a standard management on hand osteoarthritis associated with pain. As Pycnogenol® decreases inflammation and pain, chronic use of drugs, causing side effects may be reduced.
Methods: The registry patients included suffered finger pain associated with hand osteoarthritis All subjects used a standard management (SM). A supplementary group additionally used 150 mg Pycnogenol® per day. In addition, a retrospective group with 40 comparable subjects using oral diclofenac was used for comparison. Forty-two subjects with hand osteoarthritis completed the study. The registry patients were former sport professionals, fishermen and subjects working with their hands in a common manual activity. 22 subjects took Pycnogenol® in addition to standard management and 20 subjects followed the standard management only and served as controls.
Results: The two groups were comparable at inclusion. No subject had to stop supplementation or the SM. No side effects were observed. After 4 weeks, spontaneous pain in the morning and pain after work were significantly reduced with Pycnogenol® supplementation compared to controls (P<0.05). Residual pain at rest in the evening was significantly improved after 4 weeks with the supplement compared to controls (P<0.05). The number of subjects requiring pain medication during the 4-week study period was significantly lower in the supplement group (2/22) compared to controls (8/20) (P<0.05). Hand dynamometry results show significant improvement in hand-finger strength (due to decreased pain and stiffness) with the supplement compared to controls (P<0.05). At inclusion, all subjects presented hyperthermic joints, 2°C higher than the surrounding tissues as shown by thermography. After 4 weeks, the number of subjects with hyperthermic joints was lower in the Pycnogenol® group than in controls (P<0.05). Both nonspecific markers of inflammation (ESR and C-reactive protein levels in blood) were significantly lower after 4 weeks in the Pycnogenol® group than in controls (P<0.05). Other routine blood tests were normal at inclusion and at the end of the study. Within 4 weeks, plasma oxidative stress decreased by 14.4% (P<0.05) in the Pycnogenol® group vs. 5.5% in the control group. The retrospective comparison with a group of 40 comparable subjects using oral diclofenac showed that after 4 weeks, the efficacy of Pycnogenol® on improving pain in the morning, after work and in the evening, on hand-finger strength and on decreasing C-reactive protein was significantly higher (P<0.05) than in the diclofenac group (comparable, non-parallel group, CNPG).
Conclusions: In conclusion, supplementation with Pycnogenol® was well tolerated and effectively controlled pain while improving grip strength in patients with hand osteoarthritis. All supplement subjects showed an improved operativity.