Antihistamines may slow knee osteoarthritis progression

Data presented at a conference show that over a two-year period, people with knee osteoarthritis who take antihistamines had less structural disease progression than those who do not take antihistamines.

Antihistamines are medicines that relieve symptoms of allergies including hay fever, hives, conjunctivitis and reactions to insect bites or stings. Osteoarthritis affects 8.5 million people in the UK and is difficult to treat.

A team suggested that because of the way antihistamines work, they could have a positive impact on osteoarthritis. They analysed data from 1,484 people with knee osteoarthritis in a two-year study, of whom 158 used antihistamines. Using X-rays and other measures, they found that people taking antihistamines had less osteoarthritis progression.

Dr Asger Reinstrup Bihlet, one of the researchers involved in the work explains that “the observed reduction in structural progression appeared to be associated with the duration of antihistamine treatment”. Dr Lihi Eder, who led the work, comments that “we found a significant correlation between certain food groups and measures of disease activity”.

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