Dr. Stanley Jones & Kelsi Wells

Objective:

To investigate whether the administration of intra-articular yFFP (Young Fresh Frozen Plasma) injections could improve joint status, function, and symptoms arising from osteoarthritis (OA), without or with little negative reactions or side effects.
 

Methods:

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At a regenerative medicine clinic in Houston, TX, patients diagnosed with OA received intra-articular injections of yFFP into the affected joint or joints. A follow-up call was completed following treatment to assess results. Patient outcomes were categorized into either improved, defined as any improvement in joint status, function, or symptoms, or not improved, defined as no improvement in joint status, function, or symptoms.

Results:

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Out of 41 joints treated, in 27 patients, 85% (n = 35) improved and 15% (n = 6) did not improve. Separated by gender, all male joints improved (n = 12), most female joints improved (n = 23) and a portion of female joints did not improve (n = 6). There was no significant difference in improvement rates between age groups. Categorized by joint location, knees (n = 23) experienced the greatest improvement rates with 87% (n = 20) of knee joints improved and 13% (n = 3) not improved.

Conclusions:

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The high percentage of improvement in joint status, function, and symptoms in response to yFFP joint injections provides preliminary evidence for its use as a treatment for OA. Specifically, the absence of side effects or worsening of condition supports the safety and feasibility of yFFP injections for larger clinical studies.

What is already known on this topic

• Rates of osteoarthritis (OA) have increased immensely in the last 30 years.

• OA remains a lead contributor to disability around the globe.

• There is a lack of effective, long-term treatment options for osteoarthritis, leaving most patients disabled without any hope of relief.

What this study adds

• Most patients experience an improvement in joint function, status, and symptoms in response to young fresh frozen plasma (yFFP) injections.

• Men responded to yFFP treatment more favorably than women, with female patients constituting the only patients to not improve.

• No patient experienced lasting negative side effects, worsening of condition, or infection in relation to yFFP treatment.

How this study might affect research, practice, or policy

• The high percentage of patients who improved from yFFP injections proves the need for further clinical research to validate these findings.

• The absence of lasting negative side effects, worsening of condition, or infection related to treatment serves as preliminary evidence that yFFP injections are safe and welltolerated in people with OA.

• The first observational use of yFFP to treat OA in research can increase awareness for yFFP treatment and help establish it as a common treatment method.