Osteoarthritis is a common chronic disease that often causes joint pain and can be severe enough to require knee and hip replacements. In the United States, the number of total knee (RTR) and hip (RTC) replacement operations is estimated to reach 572,000 per year by 2030. There are currently no known drugs that prevent or reverse osteoarthritis.

Mechables - Diabetes mellitus has been identified as a risk factor for osteoarthritis regardless of body mass index, and studies have indicated that insulin resistance contributes to its development. Metformin is usually the first drug used to treat diabetes mellitus and is the most widely prescribed worldwide.

Reactsnews A team of researchers from China, Taiwan, and Australia set out to determine whether metformin use was associated with a lower risk of RTC or RTC, as the evidence to date was scant and inconclusive. They analyzed data from 69,706 participants who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan between 2000 and 2012 and compared the risk of TKR and/or TKR between people taking metformin and those not taking metformin. The mean age was 63 years and half were women. About 90% of total joint replacements were related to osteoarthritis. newspaperfiles

They found that the use of metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with a significantly lower risk of joint replacement, suggesting a possible therapeutic effect of the drug in patients with osteoarthritis.

The authors call for randomized controlled trials to add to their evidence.