Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2016 Feb 16;14(1):9.
doi: 10.1186/s12969-016-0069-5.

Medication use in juvenile uveitis patients enrolled in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Registry

Lauren A Henderson  1 , David Zurakowski  2 , Sheila T Angeles-Han  3 , Andrew Lasky  4 , C Egla Rabinovich  5 , Mindy S Lo  6 ; Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Registry Investigators
Collaborators, Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Medication use in juvenile uveitis patients enrolled in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Registry

Lauren A Henderson et al. Pediatr Rheumatol Online J. .

Abstract

Background: There is not yet a commonly accepted, standardized approach in the treatment of juvenile idiopathic uveitis when initial steroid therapy is insufficient. We sought to assess current practice patterns within a large cohort of children with juvenile uveitis.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional cohort study of patients with uveitis enrolled in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRAnet) registry. Clinical information including, demographic information, presenting features, disease complications, and medications were collected. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess for associations between medications and clinical characteristics.

Results: Ninety-two children with idiopathic and 656 with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis were identified. Indication (arthritis or uveitis) for medication use was not available for JIA patients; therefore, detailed analysis was limited to children with idiopathic uveitis. In this group, 94 % had received systemic steroids. Methotrexate (MTX) was used in 76 % of patients, with oral and subcutaneous forms given at similar rates. In multivariable analysis, non-Caucasians were more likely to be treated initially with subcutaneous MTX (P = 0.003). Of the 53 % of patients treated with a biologic DMARD, all received a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor. TNF inhibitor use was associated with a higher frequency of cataracts (52 % vs 21 %; P = 0.001) and antinuclear antibody positivity (49 % vs 29 %; P = 0.04), although overall complication rates were not higher in these patients.

Conclusion: Among idiopathic uveitis patients enrolled in the CARRAnet registry, MTX was the most commonly used DMARD, with subcutaneous and oral forms equally favored. Patients who received a TNF inhibitor were more likely to be ANA positive and have cataracts.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Ocular Complications in Idiopathic Uveitis. The number of idiopathic uveitis patients with each ocular complication is depicted in the figure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rosenberg KD, Feuer WJ, Davis JL. Ocular complications of pediatric uveitis. Ophthalmology. 2004;111(12):2299–306. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2004.06.014. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thorne JE, Woreta F, Kedhar SR, Dunn JP, Jabs DA. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis: incidence of ocular complications and visual acuity loss. Am J Ophthalmol. 2007;143(5):840–6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2007.01.033. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gregory AC, 2nd, Kempen JH, Daniel E, Kacmaz RO, Foster CS, Jabs DA, et al. Risk factors for loss of visual acuity among patients with uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: the Systemic Immunosuppressive Therapy for Eye Diseases Study. Ophthalmology. 2013;120(1):186–92. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2012.07.052. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Simonini G, Cantarini L, Bresci C, Lorusso M, Galeazzi M, Cimaz R. Current therapeutic approaches to autoimmune chronic uveitis in children. Autoimmun Rev. 2010;9(10):674–83. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2010.05.017. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thorne JE, Woreta FA, Dunn JP, Jabs DA. Risk of cataract development among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-related uveitis treated with topical corticosteroids. Ophthalmology. 2010;117(7):1436–41. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2009.12.003. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types