Abstract
Intraarticular hyaluronans are widely used in clinical practice for management of knee osteoarthritis (OA). They have mild or moderate therapeutic effects and very good safety profile which is very favourable in elderly, polymorbid patients who represent majority of the OA patients.
Efficacy of hyaluronans is comparable with oral non-steroidal inflammatory drugs or intraarticular corticosteroid injections but the duration of the effect is longer. According to the scientific data the hyaluronans with higher molecular weight may be more effective but conclusive data are missing.
Majority of international authorities recommend hyaluronic acid as a second line drug when standard treatment is not effective or is contraindicated and emphasize their very good safety profile