Prevalence of knee osteoarthritis and efficacy of hijamah bila shart in its management: a hospital based study

Besides psychosocial effects of osteoarthritis, the economic burden is extremely high, including direct costs related to drugs, medical care and hospitalization. This burden is largely attributed to the effects of the disability which causes loss of work days and mental stress indirectly. The available treatment options include NSAIDs which havebeen reportedto cause gastropathy, renal and hepatic toxicities, and increasing CVD risk on prolonged use (Goldstein, et al., 2015)

Furthermore, among the chronic rheumatic diseases, knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent and is a leading cause of pain and disability in most countries worldwide. Its prevalence increases with age and generally affects women more frequently than men. OA is strongly associated with aging and heavy physical occupational activity, a required livelihood for many people living in rural communities in developing countries. Determining region-specific OA prevalence will provide important information for planning future cost-effective preventive strategies and health care services.

There is no prevalence present about knee osteoarthritis in Unani System of Medicine. Although in Unani Medicine, the effectiveness of Hijama­h-bila-shart (dry cupping) in the management of Knee OA is time tested, however, the data concerning the effectiveness of hijamah-bila-shart (dry cupping) without concurrent use of oral or topical drugs are infrequent. Hence, there is a need to create research-based evidence for validation ofthe effectiveness of Hijama­h-bila-shart and to determine the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis in patients visiting OPD of Ilaj-Bil-Tadbeer in Majeedia Unani Hospital.