Remission in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: current facts.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic inflammatory arthritic disease affecting children. Despite the availability of potent disease-modifying antirheumatic medications, most children still experience a chronic course with long periods of active disease. Goals of treatment should include achievement of disease remission with optimal physical functioning that allows children to lead normal lives with no structural joint damage. The term remission implies a complete lack of disease activity. This article focuses on recently developed preliminary criteria for inactive disease and remission in JIA. Recent studies using these new definitions demonstrate only modest rates of achievement of remission favoring children with persistent oligoarticular JIA. Children with rheumatoid factor-positive polyarticular JIA are least likely to achieve remission. Therapeutic strategies to achieve remission are also discussed.
Shenoi
Susan
S
Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children's Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
Wallace
Carol A
CA
D000293:Adolescent; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D032921:Consensus; D003697:Delphi Technique; D018450:Disease Progression; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000097:blood; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D012217:Rheumatoid Factor