Il ruolo del dexibuprofene nel trattamento del dolore osteoarticolare: aspetti farmacologici e clinici. [The role of dexibuprofen in the treatment of osteoarthritis:pharmacological and clinical aspects]

An epidemiological survey conducted in several European countries has shown that in the adult population the musculoskeletal system is by far the most common location of pain, whether it is due to traumatic events or chronic diseases. The presence of this disorder often results in a significant disability, with partial or complete impairment of simple daily activities such as sleeping, working or driving. Osteoarthritis has specific peculiarities depending on the affected anatomical district, but it is generally a chronic degenerative disease in which recurring episodes of inflammation overlap, which are the cause of acute painful accesses and represent an additional injurious mechanism for the joint. In these phases the administration of NSAIDs is essential. Some NSAIDs, particularly those belonging to the family of arylpropionic acids such as ibuprofen, are used in a racemic form, i.e. as a mixture of the two enantiomers R(-)- and S(+)-, although numerous pharmacological studies have shown that most, if not all, the pharmacological properties reside in only one of the two enantiomers. This is the case of dexibuprofen, the S(+)- enantiomer of ibuprofen. In this article we will describe the pharmacological characteristics of dexibuprofen and the advantages of its therapeutic use in osteoarthritis pain.