Local injection therapy with hyaluronic acid preparations: in focus of rheumatologists and orthopedic traumatologists

   Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an effective and safe medication for local injection therapy (LIT) widely used in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of large joints. The therapeutic effect of HA is determined both by the replacement of the lubricating function of natural hyaluronate (viscosupplementation), which leads to an improvement in the biomechanical parameters of the joint, and by the biological effects that unfold when interacting with cellular receptors (CD44, RHAMM, etc.), resulting in an anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and anabolic effect of HA. HA therapy has a reliable evidence base. According to a number of clinical studies and meta-analyses, LIT with HA – reduces pain intensity by 28–54 % and improves the function of the affected joint by 9–32 % compared to baseline over a 12-24 week observation period. Repeated administration of HA can delay the need for orthopedic surgery. HA extremely rarely causes serious adverse events and can also be prescribed to patients with concomitant diseases. The use of HA for the treatment of OA is included in Russian and several foreign clinical guidelines (in particular OARSI and ESCEO). A new direction in LIT for OA is therapy with combined (hybrid) HA preparations containing high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) fractions. A new HA preparation has appeared in our country, which is a stabilized, highly purified hydrogel containing 80 % HMW HA (molecular weight – 30,000 kDa) with transverse "crosslinking" BDDE (innovative ECHATM technology) and 20 % "uncluttered" linear HA (molecular weight – 1500 kDa). This product is characterized by favorable rheological parameters, which guarantee a long-term improvement in the biomechanics of the affected joint and a rapid onset of biological effects, reduction in pain and inflammation and activation of the synthesis of natural hyaluronate.