title: [Methotrexate in the therapy of juvenile idiopathic arthritis].
abstract: Treatment with low-dose methotrexate (MTX) is an important element in the therapy of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). It could be demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials that MTX is a safe and effective drug which is generally well tolerated by children and adolescents. MTX is usually used at a dose of 10-15 mg/m(2)/week, whereby oral administration is preferred for children. Side effects occur mainly in the form of gastro-intestinal discomfort such as nausea and vomiting or raised transaminases, which can be effectively treated with folic-acid supplementation.There are no general recommendations to date regarding in particular duration and discontinuation of MTX treatment or combination treatment with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or biologics. These unresolved questions are the subject of current trials in which biomarkers have an increasingly important role.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Immunologie, Universitätsklinikum Münster, Röntgenstr 21, 48149 Münster. dirk.holzinger@ukmuenster.de
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holzinger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frosch
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Föll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D005492:Folic Acid; D008727:Methotrexate