[Clinical use of chondroitin sulfate in patients with osteoarthritis in geriatric practice].

The article presents the results of prospective longitudinal study. The aim of the study was to investigate influence of complex therapy with chondroitin sulfate on pain and functional disorders in elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study shows sufficient decreasing of pain, stiffness and functional disorders with complex therapy with chondroitin sulfate in comparison with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) by the second month of therapy with stable effect the next 2 months. All patients decrease their NSAID intake by the end of the study. Satisfaction of complex therapy was high according to patient's and physician's opinion.