PReS-FINAL-2030: Treatment with leflunomide results in a higher flare rate of chronic uveitis compared to methotrexate in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with both drugs

Methods The database of the German Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology was searched for all patients admitted from January 2010 until October 2011 with a diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and chronic anterior uveitis and treatment periods with both leflunomide and methotrexate. Patients with uveitis due to other causes were excluded. A retrospective chart survey was used to extract demographic data, diagnosis, and start and end times of treatment with leflunomide and methotrexate, respectively, concomitant medications and numbers of anterior uveitis flares. Anterior uveitis flare was defined as detection of any anterior chamber cells or flares after previously documented inactivity by an ophthalmologist. A generalized linear mixed model was constructed using a negative binomial distribution. Number of flares was used as the dependent variable, and the two treatments, LFN and MTX, were considered repeated measurements. The logarithm of time was used as an offset variable.