Objective
To develop treatment recommendations for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis manifesting as non‐systemic polyarthritis, sacroiliitis, or enthesitis.
Methods
The Patient/Population, ...Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes (PICO) questions were developed and refined by members of the guideline development teams. A systematic review was conducted to compile evidence for the benefits and harms associated with treatments for these conditions. GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology was used to rate the quality of evidence. A group consensus process was conducted among the Voting Panel to generate the final recommendations and grade their strength. A Parent and Patient Panel used a similar consensus approach to provide patient/caregiver preferences for key questions.
Results
Thirty‐nine recommendations were developed (8 strong and 31 conditional). The quality of supporting evidence was very low or low for 90% of the recommendations. Recommendations are provided for the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs, biologics, and intraarticular and oral glucocorticoids. Recommendations for the use of physical and occupational therapy are also provided. Specific recommendations for polyarthritis address general medication use, initial and subsequent treatment, and adjunctive therapies. Good disease control, with therapeutic escalation to achieve low disease activity, was recommended. The sacroiliitis and enthesitis recommendations primarily address initial therapy and adjunctive therapies.
Conclusion
This guideline provides direction for clinicians, caregivers, and patients making treatment decisions. Clinicians, caregivers, and patients should use a shared decision‐making process that accounts for patients’ values, preferences, and comorbidities. These recommendations should not be used to limit or deny access to therapies.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Variability in methotrexate (MTX) efficacy represents a barrier to early and effective disease control in the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). This work seeks to understand the ...impact of MTX on the plasma metabolome and to identify metabolic biomarkers of MTX efficacy in a prospective cohort of children with JIA. Plasma samples from a cohort of children with JIA (
= 30) collected prior to the initiation of MTX and after 3 months of therapy were analyzed using a semi-targeted global metabolomic platform detecting 673 metabolites across a diversity of biochemical classes. Disease activity was measured using the 71-joint count juvenile arthritis disease activity score (JADAS-71) and clinical response to MTX was based on achievement of ACR Pedi 70 response. Metabolomic analysis identified 50 metabolites from diverse biochemical classes that were altered following the initiation of MTX (
< 0.05) with 15 metabolites reaching a false-discovery rate adjusted p-value (q-value) of less than 0.05. Enrichment analysis identified a class-wide reduction in unsaturated triglycerides following initiation of MTX (q = 0.0009). Twelve of the identified metabolites were significantly associated with disease activity by JADAS-71. Reductions in three metabolites were found to be associated with clinical response by ACR Pedi 70 response criteria and represented several microbiota and exogenously derived metabolites including: dehydrocholic acid, biotin, and 4-picoline. These findings support diverse metabolic changes following initiation of MTX in children with JIA and identify metabolites associated with microbial metabolism and exogenous sources associated with MTX efficacy.
Although teratogenic medications are commonly used to treat rheumatic disease, no standard model currently exists for educating adolescent patients about teratogenic risk or performing routine ...pregnancy screening. We performed a quality improvement project to increase education and pregnancy screening in girls and women of childbearing age prescribed teratogenic medications in our pediatric rheumatology clinic.
Eligible participants included female patients age 10 and older prescribed teratogenic medications in a single-center tertiary care pediatric rheumatology clinic. Seven plan-do-study-act cycles were completed to test the following interventions: visible project reminders, physician and nurse education, progress updates, previsit planning, and development of an electronic health record education template. Chart reviews were performed, and control charts were created for each aim to analyze improvement over time.
At baseline, 57 of 231 (24.7%) clinic encounters of female patients age 10 years and older taking teratogenic medications had education documented within the last 12 months, and 47 of 231 (20.3%) had pregnancy screening performed at the visit. Implementation of our interventions resulted in improvement in documentation of annual teratogen education (904 of 1135; 79.6%) and routine pregnancy screening (940 of 1135; 82.8%), both of which were statistically significant (
< .0001). Control charts revealed special cause with sustained improvement over >1 year.
The interventions made through this quality improvement project increased the frequency of both teratogen education and urine pregnancy screening in patients taking teratogenic medications. Development of a standardized education template in the electronic health record played a key role in sustaining these improvements over time.
Purpose of Review
The purpose of this review is to provide a framework to distinguish Blau syndrome/Early Onset Sarcoidosis and Sarcoidosis clinically. We also discuss relevant differences in ...genetics, pathogenesis, and management of these diseases.
Recent Findings
Blau syndrome and Sarcoidosis share the characteristic histologic finding of noncaseating granulomas as well as some similar clinical characteristics; nevertheless, they are distinct entities with important differences between them. Blau syndrome and Early Onset Sarcoidosis are due to one of numerous possible gain-of-function mutations in
NOD2
, commonly presenting before age 5 with a triad of skin rash, arthritis, and uveitis. However, as more cases are reported, expanded clinical manifestations have been described. In systemic Sarcoidosis, there are numerous susceptibility genes that have been identified, and disease is thought to result from an environmental exposure in a genetically susceptible host. It most often presents with constitutional symptoms and pulmonary involvement and typically affects adolescents and adults.
Summary
This paper reviews the similarities and differences between Blau syndrome and Sarcoidosis. We also discuss the importance of distinguishing between them, particularly with regard to prognosis and outcomes.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Objective
To develop treatment recommendations for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis manifesting as non‐systemic polyarthritis, sacroiliitis, or enthesitis.
Methods
The Patient/Population, ...Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes (PICO) questions were developed and refined by members of the guideline development teams. A systematic review was conducted to compile evidence for the benefits and harms associated with treatments for these conditions. GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology was used to rate the quality of evidence. A group consensus process was conducted among the Voting Panel to generate the final recommendations and grade their strength. A Parent and Patient Panel used a similar consensus approach to provide patient/caregiver preferences for key questions.
Results
Thirty‐nine recommendations were developed (8 strong and 31 conditional). The quality of supporting evidence was very low or low for 90% of the recommendations. Recommendations are provided for the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs, biologics, and intraarticular and oral glucocorticoids. Recommendations for the use of physical and occupational therapy are also provided. Specific recommendations for polyarthritis address general medication use, initial and subsequent treatment, and adjunctive therapies. Good disease control, with therapeutic escalation to achieve low disease activity, was recommended. The sacroiliitis and enthesitis recommendations primarily address initial therapy and adjunctive therapies.
Conclusion
This guideline provides direction for clinicians, caregivers, and patients making treatment decisions. Clinicians, caregivers, and patients should use a shared decision‐making process that accounts for patients’ values, preferences, and comorbidities. These recommendations should not be used to limit or deny access to therapies.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Biologics and novel targeted therapeutics have transformed the management of pediatric rheumatic diseases over the past two decades; however, questions about short-term and long-term safety remain. ...Safety data gathered from recent clinical trials, long-term extensions of prior trials, registries, and other real-world evidence are summarized here for biologics and novel therapeutics commonly prescribed for pediatric rheumatic diseases.
With nearly 20 years of therapeutic experience, tumor necrosis inhibitors (TNFi) are generally well tolerated, although infections, malignancy, and development of new autoimmunity remain a concern. Risk of infections may be higher in IL-1 and IL-6 inhibitors, and lower in abatacept, compared with TNFi. Safety data for B-cell-targeted therapeutics and janus kinase inhibitors are emerging, but remain limited, especially in children.
Biologic and novel targeted therapeutics offer a promising future for children with pediatric rheumatic disease. However, long-term safety data in children remain limited for several agents. With any therapeutic option, both short-term and long-term safety concerns must be weighed against individual clinical needs when choosing the optimal treatment for each child.
Objective
To develop recommendations for the screening, monitoring, and treatment of uveitis in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
Methods
Pediatric rheumatologists, ophthalmologists ...with expertise in uveitis, patient representatives, and methodologists generated key clinical questions to be addressed by this guideline. This was followed by a systematic literature review and rating of the available evidence according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology. A group consensus process was used to compose the final recommendations and grade their strength as conditional or strong.
Results
Due to a lack of literature with good quality of evidence, recommendations were formulated on the basis of available evidence and a consensus expert opinion. Regular ophthalmic screening of children with JIA is recommended because of the risk of uveitis, and the frequency of screening should be based on individual risk factors. Regular ophthalmic monitoring of children with uveitis is recommended, and intervals should be based on ocular examination findings and treatment regimen. Ophthalmic monitoring recommendations were strong primarily because of concerns of vision‐threatening complications of uveitis with infrequent monitoring. Topical glucocorticoids should be used as initial treatment to achieve control of inflammation. Methotrexate and the monoclonal antibody tumor necrosis factor inhibitors adalimumab and infliximab are recommended when systemic treatment is needed for the management of uveitis. The timely addition of nonbiologic and biologic drugs is recommended to maintain uveitis control in children who are at continued risk of vision loss.
Conclusion
This guideline provides direction for clinicians and patients/parents making decisions on the screening, monitoring, and management of children with JIA and uveitis, using GRADE methodology and informed by a consensus process with input from rheumatology and ophthalmology experts, current literature, and patient/parent preferences and values.
Full text
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Aims
In order to better predict the pharmacokinetics (PK) of antibodies in children, and to facilitate dose optimization of antibodies in paediatric patients, there is a need to develop systems PK ...models that integrate ontogeny‐related changes in human physiological parameters.
Methods
A population‐based physiological‐based PK (PBPK) model to characterize antibody PK in paediatrics has been developed, by incorporating age‐related changes in body weight, organ weight, organ blood flow rate and interstitial volumes in a previously published platform model. The model was further used to perform Monte Carlo simulations to investigate clearance vs. age and dose–exposure relationships for infliximab.
Results
By estimating only one parameter and associated interindividual variability, the model was able to characterize clinical PK of infliximab from two paediatric cohorts (n = 141, 4–19 years) reasonably well. Model simulations demonstrated that only 50% of children reached desired trough concentrations when receiving FDA‐labelled dosing regimen for infliximab, suggesting that higher doses and/or more frequent dosing are needed to achieve target trough concentrations of this antibody.
Conclusion
The paediatric PBPK model presented here can serve as a framework to characterize the PK of antibodies in paediatric patients. The model can also be applied to other protein therapeutics to advance precision medicine paradigm and optimize antibody dosing regimens in children.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Methotrexate (MTX) efficacy in autoimmune arthritis is variable and unpredictable resulting in the need for the identification of biomarkers to guide drug therapy. This study utilizes the ...collagen-induced arthritis mouse model to investigate erythrocyte MTX disposition and anti-folate activity as biochemical markers of efficacy in autoimmune arthritis. Following induction of arthritis, DBA/1J mice were treated with once-weekly subcutaneous MTX at varying doses over a period of 40 days. At the completion of the study tissue samples were analyzed for MTX and folate content and assessed for their relationship with MTX efficacy. MTX treatment resulted in a reduction in disease activity that was variable and dose-dependent. Erythrocyte accumulation of MTX and its polyglutamate metabolites were dose proportionate, however, polyglutamate metabolites represented a mean ± S.E.M. of 8.9 ± 0.4% of total erythrocyte MTX, which is markedly lower than previously observed in humans and failed to display any significant association with MTX efficacy. MTX treatment resulted in reductions in erythrocyte 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate (5mTHF) levels that were similar to those previously observed in human studies. Disease induction was associated with a decrease in liver 5mTHF and increased formyl-tetrahydrofolate (fTHF) that was normalized in MTX treated mice. MTX efficacy was associated with reductions in erythrocyte 5mTHF (P = 0.04) and increases in liver 5mTHF (P = 0.0001). Together, these findings demonstrate a relationship between alterations in tissue folate levels and MTX efficacy, and supports erythrocyte levels of 5mTHF as a marker of MTX efficacy in autoimmune arthritis.
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Full text
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP