title: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: an update on current pharmacotherapy and future perspectives.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic disease in childhood. Therapeutic advances in the treatment of JIA are occurring at a rapid rate, resulting in more ambitious therapeutic goals and increasing numbers of children experiencing complete clinical remission.
  
  
  METHODS
  The purpose of this review is to summarize the available treatments for the management of arthritis and systemic features in children with JIA, including current evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of biologic agents and future therapeutic approaches.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With advances in pharmacotherapy, physical and functional outcomes in children with JIA have improved immensely. The establishment of research consortia among the pediatric rheumatology community has allowed for large controlled studies and enabled a better understanding of the safety and efficacy of these therapeutic agents in children. Long-term safety data remain limited and thus longer, larger safety studies are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, 3415 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467, USA. dwahezi@montefiore.org
authors.forename: Dawn M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Wahezi
authors.forename: Norman T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Ilowite
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001688:Biological Products; D007155:Immunologic Factors