Selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in patients with low back pain: focus on safety

Selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in patients with low back pain: focus on safety

P.R. Kamchatnov¹, S.B. Khanmurzayeva², A.V. Chugunov¹, N.B. Khanmurzayeva², E.S. Agabekova³

¹Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow 

²Dagestan State Medical University, Makhachkala

³City Clinical Hospital, Makhachkala

Low back pain (LBP) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain syndrome associated with a decrease in the life quality of patients and significant treatment expenses. Osteoarthritis (OA) of the lumbar facet joints can be considered as one of the important causes of LBP development. Commonly, a variety of pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical manifestations of LBP complicate the drug selection. The article analyzes information concerning the possibility of using a selective cyclooxygenase type 2 (sCOX-2) inhibitor, etoricoxib, for the treatment of patients with LBP. The article also presents the randomized clinical trial results concerning the efficacy and safety of its use in patients with LBP. The possibility of using this drug in patients (requiring a certain treatment duration, in particular, in LBP, which has developed in the setting of the facet joint OA) is extremely important, since it is necessary not only to relieve acute pain syndrome but also to inhibit the inflammatory process. In some cases, long-term treatment is required in OA, since an excessively short treatment course may not provide sufficient antiinflammatory effect, representing one of the reasons for the early onset of subsequent exacerbation.

Keywords: low back pain, osteoarthritis, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cyclooxygenase inhibitors, etoricoxib, tolerability.

For citation: Kamchatnov P.R., Khanmurzayeva S.B., Chugunov A.V. et al. Selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in patients with low back pain: focus on safety. RMJ. 2022;4:20–25.