What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that affects adults. There are few effective therapies, and many have side effects. Some studies have suggested that low levels of inflammation cause symptoms in osteoarthritis. A few studies have examined hydroxychloroquine—a well-established treatment of rheumatoid arthritis—for patients with inflammatory forms of osteoarthritis.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To determine whether hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment of osteoarthritis of the hand.

Who was studied?

248 adults with hand pain due to osteoarthritis.

How was the study done?

The participants were randomly assigned to receive either hydroxychloroquine or placebo (sugar pill) for 12 months in addition to usual care for their arthritis. The researchers used questionnaires to measure the participants' pain levels and quality of life. They also did ultrasound studies of the hand joints at baseline and measured the participants' grip strength at baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months.

What did the researchers find?

The participants were an average age of 62.7 years, and most were women. They had had symptoms of hand osteoarthritis for about 5 years, and their average pain level was 7 out of 10. After 6 months of treatment, there were no differences between the hydroxychloroquine and placebo groups in terms of pain levels or grip strength.

What were the limitations of the study?

The study enrolled adults with long-standing osteoarthritis symptoms. If adults with newer symptoms of hand osteoarthritis had been enrolled, the results might have been different.

What are the implications of the study?

Hydroxychloroquine does not offer any benefit over placebo for treatment of osteoarthritis of the hand.

中文翻译：

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羟氯喹减轻手部骨关节炎的症状

问题是什么，到目前为止对此有什么了解？

骨关节炎是影响成年人的关节炎的一种常见形式。有效的疗法很少，而且很多都有副作用。一些研究表明，低水平的炎症会引起骨关节炎的症状。一些研究已经检查了羟氯喹（类风湿关节炎的一种成熟治疗方法），用于患有炎症性骨关节炎的患者。

研究人员为什么要进行这项特殊研究？

确定羟氯喹是否有效治疗手部骨关节炎。

谁学的？

248名因骨关节炎导致手部疼痛的成年人。

研究如何完成？

除了对关节炎进行常规护理外，还随机分配参与者接受羟氯喹或安慰剂（糖丸）治疗12个月。研究人员使用问卷来测量参与者的疼痛程度和生活质量。他们还对基线的手部关节进行了超声研究，并在基线，3个月，6个月和12个月时测量了参与者的握力。

研究人员发现了什么？

参与者的平均年龄为62.7岁，其中大多数为女性。他们有手部骨关节炎的症状约5年，平均疼痛水平为10分中的7分。治疗6个月后，羟氯喹和安慰剂组在疼痛水平或握力方面无差异。

研究的局限性是什么？

该研究招募了具有长期骨关节炎症状的成年人。如果已经招募了具有较新的手部骨关节炎症状的成年人，则结果可能会有所不同。

该研究的意义是什么？

羟氯喹在治疗手部骨关节炎方面没有优于安慰剂的任何益处。