Juvenile Arthritis News

A history of uveitis had a negative effect on vision-related quality of life in adulthood for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to recently published data.

Compared with sulfasalazine monotherapy or methotrexate with initial prednisone bridging, etanercept and methotrexate combination therapy was associated with more clinical improvement in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to data published in Pediatric Rheumatology.

Researchers have developed a prediction model to estimate the likelihood of severe disease in patients diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to a recently published study.

In a study of 68 children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, about half had obstructive sleep apnea, according to recently published results.

An MRI pixel intensity ratio of 1.55 between the temporomandibular joint synovium and the longus capitis muscle can differentiate patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis vs. children without inflammatory arthritis with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 96%, according to recent findings.

WASHINGTON — There was no increase in malignancy rate among patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis after treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, according to findings presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.

Compared with second-line etanercept, a first-line combination therapy of etanercept with methotrexate cost $88,815 more per quality-adjusted life year gained when researchers used an incremental cost-effective ratio, according to a 5-year cost-effectiveness analysis of patients with juvenile arthritis.

In the last 20 years, therapeutic advances for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis have been rapid and significant. The advances have largely come in the form of biologic therapies, including injectable anti-tumor necrosis factor agents, interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 blockers and agents to block T-cell signaling. A class of oral janus kinase inhibitors are also being tested in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and may be poised to add another component to the armamentarium of physicians.

I would like to add some brief perspective to this issue’s exciting Cover Story on the impact of biologics on pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases, especially juvenile idiopathic arthritis in all its forms.

WASHINGTON — Mothers with a history of juvenile arthritis were more often diagnosed with post-partum depression, according to data presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.