Kids with arthritis benefit from early treatment

	Tweet

In children with arthritis, the time from diagnosis to the start of treatment with methotrexate appears to be an important predictor of their response to the drug at 6 months, Dutch investigators report.

“Our results suggest that earlier initiation of methotrexate treatment will lead to an increased response,” Dr. R. ten Cate, at Leiden University Medical Centre, and colleagues report in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

So-called juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA, strikes before the age of 16, causing pain, inflammation and cell damage in the lining of the joints. The disease may have a variety of symptoms and degree of severity. The cause of disease is not known but it is thought to be related to genetic and environmental factors. 

In a look-back at 128 children with JIA, Dr. ten Cate’s group found that the overall response rate after 6 months of methotrexate treatment was 57 percent.

They also found that responders started methotrexate earlier and had worse symptoms than nonresponders. Even after analyzing the effect of prior treatments, such as steroids or sulfasalazine, earlier time to initiation of methotrexate was still significantly associated with response.

The researchers theorize that methotrexate can suppress early stages of inflammation in JIA and that the mechanism of action is less sufficient to control well-established chronic inflammation.

They call for further research “to determine if an increased early response leads to less joint damage in the long term.”

SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, January 15, 2009.

RELATED STORIES:
Moms, Dads Worry as Summer Season Begins   Surgery Safe for Babies & Toddlers Suffering from Seizures   Over 700,000 Children Die Needlessly Every Year in the Eastern Mediterranean   Late start may delay toilet training   Hush Little Baby… Linking Genes, Brain, and Behavior in Children   Kids’ chest illness not tied to later lung trouble   Native American Children Are at Greater Risk for Clubfoot Recurrence   Childhood obesity: Motivation to exercise is hard to come by   Commonly used drug offers promise for premature babies   Immunization not linked to increased hospitalization for children with inherited disorder   New Therapeutic Target Identified for Rheumatoid Arthritis   Peers boost breastfeeding among low-income women

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]