Leeches help with arthritis pain

Treatment with leeches may reduce pain and stiffness in patients with arthritis of the knee, German scientists report. Modern-day medicinal use of leeches is limited to the treatment of blood clotting problems after surgery. Dr. Gustav J. Dobos, from Kliniken Essen-Mitte, and colleagues maintain that leech saliva contains anti-inflammatory substances and other chemicals, which could relieve symptoms of arthritis. In a study of patients with knee arthritis, Dobos’ team compared a single treatment with 4 to 6 leeches with that of a 28-day regimen of topical diclofenac-a common treatment for arthritis. Leeches were applied to painful points of the affected knees of 24 patients and left in place for about 70 minutes, until they detached by themselves. The new findings are reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine. After 7 days, pain scores had improved to a much greater extent in the leeches group than in the diclofenac group. Moreover, benefits in function, stiffness and total arthritis symptoms were maintained through 91 days of follow-up, the report indicates. The treatment was safe and well tolerated, the authors report, although they note that leech therapy does carry certain infectious risks. In a related editorial, Dr. Marc C. Hochberg notes that a search of the Cochrane Collaboration database revealed no systematic reviews of trials of leeches in patients with osteoarthritis. Furthermore, writes the physician from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, he doubts that the effect was probably anything more than would be seen with a skin irritant. “The more exciting aspect of this work is the potential for the discovery of a novel analgesic agent that could be safely administered without the need for a leech bite,” he concludes. —Reuters

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