Discontinuing NSAIDs in Veterans With Knee Osteoarthritis
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2018-10-05
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is now recognized as a major health problem. It is the number one
cause of lower extremity disability and has significant deleterious effects on quality of
life. While there are numerous therapies available for knee OA, most have limited efficacy.
Of particular concern, is the widespread use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
for this disorder. Veterans, as a group, are at high risk for both gastrointestinal and
cardiovascular NSAID-induced complications. In this study the investigators propose to
examine whether replacing NSAIDs with cognitive behavioral therapy delivered by telephone is
an effective strategy for Veterans with knee OA. Telephone-administered therapy is
particularly appealing since Veterans with knee OA are more likely to have limited mobility.
If successful, this program may result in significant cost-savings for both Veterans
(decreased co-pays and transportation costs) and the VA (decreased hospitalizations due to
NSAID induced toxicity).