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ABSTRACT: To investigate the efficacy of IA CS (IAC) therapy in single and multiple joints in children with JIA and to seek for predictors of synovitis flare.
The clinical charts of patients who received their first IAC injection between January 2002 and December 2008 were reviewed. The CS used was triamcinolone hexacetonide for large joints and methylprednisolone acetate for small or difficult to access joints. Patients were stratified as follows: one joint injected; two joints injected; and three or more joints injected. Predictors included sex, age at disease onset, JIA category, age and disease duration, ANA status, iridocyclitis, general anaesthesia, number and type of injected joints, acute-phase reactants and concomitant MTX therapy.
The cumulative probability of survival without synovitis flare for patients injected in one, two, or three or more joints was 70, 45 and 44%, respectively, at 1 year; 61, 32 and 30%, respectively, at 2 years; and 37, 22 and 19%, respectively, at 3 years. On Cox regression analysis, positive CRP, negative ANA and injection in the ankle were the strongest predictors for synovitis flare. The only significant side effect was skin hypopigmentation or s.c. atrophy, which occurred in <2% of patients.
IAC therapy-induced sustained remission of synovitis in a substantial proportion of patients injected either in single or multiple joints, with a good safety profile. The risk of synovitis flare was higher in patients who had positive CRP, negative ANA and were injected in the ankle.
Rheumatology (Oxford, England) 05/2011; 50(9):1627-34. · 4.24 Impact Factor
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Giovanni Filocamo,
Sergio Davì,
Angela Pistorio, Marta Bertamino,
Nicolino Ruperto,
Bianca Lattanzi,
Alessandro Consolaro,
Silvia Magni-Manzoni,
Roberta Galasso,
Giulia Camilla Varnier,
Alberto Martini,
Angelo Ravelli
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ABSTRACT: To evaluate the measurement properties of 21-numbered circle visual analog scales (VAS) and traditional 10-cm horizontal line VAS for physician and parent subjective ratings in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
We studied 2 patient samples in whom physician global rating of overall disease activity, parent global rating of the child's overall well-being, and parent rating of intensity of child's pain were performed using traditional 10-cm horizontal line VAS (n = 397) or 21-numbered circle VAS (n = 471). The measurement performances of the 2 VAS formats were examined by assessing construct validity, score distribution, responsiveness to change over time, and minimal clinically important difference (MCID).
Most Spearman correlations with other JIA outcome measures yielded by 21-numbered circle VAS were greater than those obtained with 10-cm horizontal line VAS, revealing that the circle VAS format has better construct validity. Ceiling effects (i.e., score = 0) for physician and parent global ratings were 43.7% and 32.9%, respectively, on 21-numbered circle VAS, and 31.6% and 35.3%, respectively, on 10-cm horizontal line VAS. Responsiveness of 21-numbered circle VAS was good (standardized response mean > 0.8) or moderate (standardized response mean > 0.6) among patients classified as improved or worsened, respectively, by the physician or the parent. Overall, MCID values for 21-numbered circle VAS tended to be greater for worsening than for improvement.
The 21-numbered circle VAS are a suitable alternative to the 10-cm horizontal line VAS and may facilitate incorporation of physician and parent subjective ratings in standard clinical practice.
The Journal of Rheumatology 07/2010; 37(7):1534-41. · 3.69 Impact Factor
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Giovanni Filocamo,
Benedetta Schiappapietra, Marta Bertamino,
Angela Pistorio,
Nicolino Ruperto,
Silvia Magni-Manzoni,
Stefano Lanni,
Claudia Saad-Magalhaes,
Roberta Galasso,
Bianca Lattanzi,
Valentina Muratore,
Daniela Tani,
Alberto Martini,
Angelo Ravelli
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ABSTRACT: To develop and validate a new short and simple measure of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
The Paediatric Rheumatology Quality of Life Scale (PRQL) is a 10-item questionnaire that explores HRQL in two domains: physical health (PhH) and psychosocial health (PsH). Validation of the parent proxy report and child self-report versions of the instrument was accomplished by evaluating 472 JIA patients and approximately 800 healthy children. Validation analyses included assessment of feasibility, face and content validity; construct and discriminative ability; internal structure and consistency; test-retest reliability; responsiveness to clinical change; and minimal clinically important difference.
The PRQL was found to be feasible and to possess both face and content validity. The PRQL score correlated in the predicted range with most of the other JIA outcome measures, thereby demonstrating good construct validity, and discriminated well between different levels of disease severity. Assessment of internal structure (factor analysis) revealed that the PhH and PsH subscales identify two unambiguously separated domains. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.86. The intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.91. The PRQL revealed fair responsiveness, with a standardized response mean of 0.67 in improved patients. Overall, the PRQL appeared to be more able to capture physical HRQL than psychosocial HRQL.
The PRQL was found to possess good measurement properties and is, therefore, a valid instrument for the assessment of HRQL in children with JIA. This tool is primarily proposed for use in standard clinical care.
Rheumatology (Oxford, England) 03/2010; 49(7):1272-80. · 4.24 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To develop and validate a radiographic scoring system for the assessment of radiographic damage in the hip joint in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
The Childhood Arthritis Radiographic Score of the Hip (CARSH) assesses and scores these radiographic abnormalities: joint space narrowing (JSN), erosion, growth abnormalities, subchondral cysts, malalignment, sclerosis of the acetabulum, and avascular necrosis of the femoral head. Score validation was accomplished by evaluating reliability and correlational, construct, and predictive validity in 148 JIA patients with hip disease who had a total of 381 hip radiographs available for study.
JSN was the most frequently observed radiographic abnormality, followed by erosion and sclerosis of the acetabulum. The least common abnormalities were avascular necrosis, growth abnormalities, and malalignment. Interobserver and intraobserver reliability on baseline and longitudinal score values and on score changes was good, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.76 to 0.98. Early score changes, but not absolute baseline score values, were moderately correlated (r(s) > 0.4) with clinical indicators of disease damage at last followup observation, thereby demonstrating that the CARSH has good construct and predictive validity. The amount of structural damage in the hip radiograph at last followup observation was predicted better by baseline to 1-year score change (r(s) = 0.66; p < 0.0001) than by absolute baseline score values (r(s) = 0.40; p = 0.002).
Our results show that the CARSH is reliable and valid for the assessment of radiographic hip damage and its progression in patients with JIA.
The Journal of Rheumatology 02/2010; 37(2):432-9. · 3.69 Impact Factor
