[A case of panuveitis with optic disc neovascularization associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis which progressed during a clinical trial of etanercept].
OBJECTIVE
To report a case of uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis that progressed from iritis to panuveitis with disc neovascularization during a clinical trial of etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-alpha) blocker.


METHODS
A 12-year-old girl with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which had begun at the age of 1 year 7 months. The patient was enrolled in a clinical trial of etanercept at 11 years of age. The methotrexate which she has been taking was stopped, and prednisolone was decreased gradually from 7 mg. The iritis worsened and progressed to panuveitis with disc neovascularization when the prednisolone dose had been tapered to 2 mg. The uveitis was controlled by treatment with a steroid pulse and a liposteroid.


CONCLUSIONS
When starting etanercept therapy in a patient with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who has uveitis and the antirheumatic drug is stopped and steroid treatment tapered, special care is needed to avoid the exacerbation of uveitis.
Kinouchi
Reiko
R
Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical College, Japan. rkino@asahikawa-med.ac.jp
Hirokawa
Hiroyuki
H
Igarashi
Shou
S
Fukui
Katsuhiko
K
Hirano
Yoshiki
Y
Takai
Yoshiko
Y
Yoshida
Akitoshi
A
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D000068800:Etanercept; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology*; D015864:Panuveitis / Q000473:pathology*; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor
D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D000068800:Etanercept