Juvenile idiopathic arthritis medical therapy
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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis Microchapters |
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Differentiating Juvenile idiopathic arthritis from other Diseases |
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Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
The treatment of JIA is best undertaken by an experienced team of health professionals, including paediatric rheumatologists, nurse specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors and psychologists. Many others in the wider health and school communities also have valuable roles to play, such as ophthalmologists, dentists, orthopaedic surgeons, school nurses and teachers, careers advisors and, of course local general practitioners, paediatricians and rheumatologists. It is essential that every effort is made to involve the affected child and their family in disease education and balanced treatment decisions.
Medical Therapy
There have been very beneficial advances in drug treatment over the last 20 years. Most children are treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and intra-articular corticosteroid injections. Methotrexate is a powerful drug which helps suppress joint inflammation in the majority of JIA patients with polyarthritis and systemic arthritis. Newer drugs have been developed recently, such as TNF alpha blockers, which appear to be effective in severe JIA. There is little or no controlled evidence to support the use of alternative remedies such as specific dietary exclusions, homeopathic treatment or acupuncture.