Treatment prescribing patterns in a cohort of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Data from the childhood arthritis prospective study (CAPS)

Introduction Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a heterogenous disease, classified according to the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR). Initial treatment is based largely on disease severity; intra-articular injections for oligoarthritis, methotrexate (MTX) for polyarthritis and systemic presentations. The recent licensing of biologic therapies for use in JIA has revolutionised treatment of the disease. It is not currently known what proportion of children who present with polyarthritis will require biologic therapy. Although not studied formally, it is recognised a proportion of children with oligoarthritis will also require systemic therapy to control symptoms.