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77% of JIA patients achieved inactive disease episodes within 10 months
The majority of patients with newly diagnosed juvenile idiopathic arthritis achieved an episode of inactive disease within a median of 10 months, according to study results.
In a retrospective inception cohort study, researchers in Amsterdam evaluated 149 children diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA; 66% female) between 2003 and 2007 and treated at referral centers. Medication, functional outcome and radiography data were recorded.
Median follow-up was 32.5 months. Fifty-four percent of patients were categorized as rheumatoid factor (RF)-negative polyarthritis. Median age at JIA diagnosis was 11.8 years, while patients in the persistent oligoarthritis category (median, 9 years) indicated a younger age and patients with RF-negative polyarthritis category (median, 16 years) showed an older age.
Ninety-five percent of patients used disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, including methotrexate (85%), sulfasalazine (41%) and biologics (20%), which were initiated within a 1-month median of diagnosis. Seventy-seven percent of patients achieved 244 episodes of inactive disease (ID) during follow-up; ID was reached after a median of 10 months. Researchers, however, were unable to identify baseline predictive factors for reaching ID.
A median Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire score of 0.63 was reported after 2 years. Eighteen patients (12%) showed radiological joint damage during the study, with 10 patients developing erosions within a median of 20 months after their first visit.
“Newly diagnosed JIA patients can expect intensive treatment, at least during the first 2 years of their disease, resulting in inactive disease in 77% of the patients,” the researchers concluded. “After 2 years, patients reported moderate functional disability.
“There is room for treatment improvement. Therefore, studies identifying the optimal treatment strategy leading to an earlier and longer state of inactive disease are desirable.”