{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T18:07:11Z","timestamp":1775153231220,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775088000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005230","name":"Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["Grant No. cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0231"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Grant No. cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0231"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005230","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is increasingly applied in knee osteoarthritis (KOA), but its long-term efficacy remains uncertain. This study assessed 5-year outcomes of intra-articular PRP compared with conventional therapy in early-stage KOA.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n A retrospective cohort of 116 patients with bilateral KOA (Kellgren\u2013Lawrence I\u2013II) treated in 2019 was analyzed. Group A (n\u2009=\u200958) received standardized management plus three PRP injections, while Group B (n\u2009=\u200958) received standardized conservative management alone (NSAIDs and\/or intra-articular hyaluronic acid), combined with education, exercise therapy, and weight management. Pain, function, and quality of life were evaluated by VAS, WOMAC, and SF-36 at baseline and 5 years.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Both groups showed deterioration over 5 years. VAS increased from 4.64\u2009\u00b1\u20090.52 to 5.41\u2009\u00b1\u20091.17 in Group A and from 4.80\u2009\u00b1\u20090.59 to 5.44\u2009\u00b1\u20091.16 in Group B, without significant between-group difference (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.849). WOMAC and SF-36 scores also worsened similarly, with no intergroup significance (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009>\u20090.05). Intra-group analyses confirmed significant declines from baseline (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<\u20090.001).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Although a short, single course of leukocyte-poor PRP did not yield sustained superiority over standardized conservative management at 5 years, this real-world study provides rare long-term comparative evidence that defines the temporal boundaries of PRP efficacy and underscores the need for maintenance or optimized dosing protocols in clinical practice.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0344749","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T17:37:41Z","timestamp":1775151461000},"page":"e0344749","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Five-year real-world outcomes of short-course leukocyte-poor PRP versus standard conservative therapy in early-stage knee osteoarthritis"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1078-5193","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Qiuping","family":"Yu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chenghong","family":"Wen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3463-1006","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Junli","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]]},"reference":[{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0344749.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1130","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2025.05.011","article-title":"Ultra-processed food consumption is associated with knee osteoarthritis: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative","volume":"33","author":"Z 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