Zafar Muhammad Nauman, Fatima Syeda, Ambreen Saima, Khurram Muhammad, Iqbal Tahir, Arif Muhammad, Khan Afzaal Aleem
Medicine, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, PAK.
Medicine, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, PAK.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 15;17(6):e86076. doi: 10.7759/cureus.86076. eCollection 2025 Jun.
This single-blinded, randomised, prospective study was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of a combination drug regimen including pregabalin and duloxetine as adjuncts to naproxen in pain management of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
One hundred and five patients were inducted into the study following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Using simple randomisation, patients were allocated into group A (naproxen only), group B (naproxen + duloxetine), and group C (naproxen + pregabalin). Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores were used to measure pain severity, while secondary outcomes of sleep quality and depression were assessed by using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale, respectively. Assessments were done at day 0, week 4, and week 12 in the study. Appropriate tests were utilised to analyse the data.
Mean pain scores at 12 weeks were significantly lower in group B (p=0.009 for VAS, p=0.002 for WOMAC) and group C (p=0.012 for VAS, p=0.005 for WOMAC), as compared to group A (naproxen only). Sleep quality (p=0.00) and depression scales (p=0.00) were also similarly improved in the combination drug regimen groups as compared to the naproxen-only group.
Addition of either duloxetine or pregabalin to the naproxen drug regimen may result in better management and improved quality of life in patients suffering from knee OA.
开展这项单盲、随机、前瞻性研究，以调查包括普瑞巴林和度洛西汀在内的联合药物方案作为萘普生辅助药物在膝关节骨关节炎（OA）患者疼痛管理中的有效性。
105名患者按照纳入和排除标准入选本研究。采用简单随机化方法，将患者分为A组（仅使用萘普生）、B组（萘普生 + 度洛西汀）和C组（萘普生 + 普瑞巴林）。使用视觉模拟量表（VAS）和西安大略和麦克马斯特大学骨关节炎指数（WOMAC）评分来测量疼痛严重程度，而睡眠质量和抑郁的次要结局分别通过匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）和贝克抑郁量表（BDI）进行评估。在研究的第0天、第4周和第12周进行评估。采用适当的检验方法分析数据。
与A组（仅使用萘普生）相比，B组（VAS：p = 0.009，WOMAC：p = 0.002）和C组（VAS：p = 0.012，WOMAC：p = 0.005）在12周时的平均疼痛评分显著更低。与仅使用萘普生组相比，联合药物方案组的睡眠质量（p = 0.00）和抑郁量表评分（p = 0.00）也有类似改善。
在萘普生药物方案中添加度洛西汀或普瑞巴林可能会使膝关节OA患者得到更好的管理并改善生活质量。
