Comparison of Autologous Venous PRP vs Umbilical Cord PRP in Relieving Pain and Improving Quality of Life in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of umbilical cord blood platelet-rich plasma (CB-PRP) and autologous venous platelet-rich plasma (A-PRP) in the pain relief and knee functional improvement for patients with early-stage knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methodology: This observational study carried out in the Anesthesia Department of a CDA Hospital , a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad. Sixty patients with Kellgren-Lawrence Grade 1–2 knee OA were randomized into 2 groups with 30 patients in each group, in the CB-PRP and A-PRP group. Aseptically injected PRP into the joint. Outcomes included the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) at baseline, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks. The analysis was done by SPSS statistical software (version 26). We considered p-value < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: CB-PRP displayed significant improvement on VAS scores at all follow-ups compared with A-PRP (weeks 4: 3.69 ± 0.87 vs. 6.31 ±1.03 p < 0.001). KOOS scores at 24 weeks were also greater in the CB-PRP compared to the placebo group (75.12 ± 6.76 vs. 62.34 ± 7.12; p < 0.001). There was a steady improvement in WOMAC scores in both groups of patients, and a significant difference in favor of CB-PRP was found at 24 weeks (2.44 ± 0.73 vs 3.00 ± 0.71, p = 0.040). There were no significant adverse events. Conclusion: CB-PRP was more effective than A-PRP in pain reduction and functional improvement total scores in early knee OA.