Annals of Internal MedicineAssociation of Low-Dose Colchicine with Incidence of Knee and Hip Replacements

A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Trial Analyzing Colchicine’s Role in Reducing Knee and Hip Replacement Incidences

An exploratory analysis of the LoDoCo2 randomized trial has led to a promising correlation between low-dose colchicine treatment and a reduced incidence of knee and hip replacements.

• Colchicine (0.5 mg daily) was the focus of the study for its potential to reduce total knee replacements (TKRs) and total hip replacements (THRs).
• The study was conducted across 43 centers in Australia and the Netherlands involving 5,522 patients with chronic coronary artery disease.
• Two groups of 2,762 and 2,760 patients were respectively administered with colchicine and placebo over a median follow-up of 28.6 months.
• 2.5% (68) patients in the colchicine group underwent TKR or THR, compared to 3.5% (97) in the placebo group.
• Incidence rate was 0.90 vs. 1.30 per 100 person-years for colchicine and placebo groups, with a difference of -0.40 per 100 person-years.
• The hazard ratio stood at 0.69 (Confidence Interval: 0.51 to 0.95), favoring colchicine.
• This study didn’t specifically collect information on osteoarthritis, warranting further exploration into colchicine therapy for slowing osteoarthritis progression.