Weighting improves the information provided by joint counts on the severity of arthritis and its impact on patients’ well-being in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells infusion in therapy refractory juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients

Objectives

To compare the total number of adverse events (AEs) before and after mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) infusion in refractory JIA and to evaluate its effectiveness.

Methods

Single-centre Proof of Mechanism Phase Ib, open label intervention study in JIA patients previously failing all biologicals registered for their diagnosis. Six patients received 2 million/kg intravenous infusions of allogeneic bone-marrow derived MSC. In case of ACR-Ped30-response but subsequent loss of response one and maximal two repeated infusions are allowed.

Results

Six JIA patients with 9.2 years median disease duration, still active arthritis and damage were included. All had failed methotrexate, corticosteroids and median five different biologicals. MSC were administered twice in three patients. No acute infusion reactions were observed and a lower post-treatment than pre-treatment incidence in AEs was found. The one systemic onset JIA (sJIA) patient had again an evolving macrophage activation syndrome, 9 weeks after tocilizumab discontinuation and 7 weeks post-MSC infusion. Statistically significant decreases were found 8 weeks after one MSC infusion in VAS well-being (75–56), the JADAS-71 (24.5–11.0) and the cJADAS10 (18.0–10.6).

Conclusion

MSC infusions in six refractory JIA patients were safe, although in sJIA stopping the ‘failing’ biologic treatment carries a risk of a MAS flare, as the drug might still suppress the systemic features.

Trial registration

Trial register.nl, http://https://www.trialregister.nl, NTR4146.

Physical Examination Tools Used to Identify Swollen and Tender Lower Limb Joints in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Scoping Review

Background

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common form of rheumatic disease in childhood and adolescents, affecting between 16 and 150 per 100,000 young persons below the age of 16. The lower limb is commonly affected in JIA, with joint swelling and tenderness often observed as a result of active synovitis.

Objective

The objective of this scoping review is to identify the existence of physical examination (PE) tools to identify and record swollen and tender lower limb joints in children with JIA.

Methods

Two reviewers individually screened the eligibility of titles and abstracts retrieved from the following online databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL. Studies that proposed and validated a comprehensive lower limb PE tool were included in this scoping review.

Results

After removal of duplicates, 1232 citations were retrieved, in which twelve were identified as potentially eligible. No studies met the set criteria for inclusion.

Conclusion

Further research is needed in developing and validating specific PE tools for clinicians such as podiatrists and other allied health professionals involved in the management of pathological lower limb joints in children diagnosed with JIA. These lower limb PE tools may be useful in conjunction with existing disease activity scores to optimise screening of the lower extremity and monitoring the efficacy of targeted interventions.

The impact of joint disease on the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire scores in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A cross-sectional study using the National Database of Rheumatic Diseases by iR-net in Japan

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the effect of bilateral and unilateral joint disease on the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ) scores and the differences in joint weighting in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

METHODS

A total of 9212 subjects from the Japanese nationwide cohort database NinJa, 2011, were analyzed. The presence or absence of disease in each joint, including swelling and/or tenderness, was investigated. The correlations between bilateral and unilateral disease in each joint and MHAQ scores were investigated using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The patients' mean age and disease duration was 63.2 and 12.2 years, respectively. The Disease Activity Score-28 was 3.3. The odds ratios of physical impairment according to the MHAQ using multivariable logistic regression models for bilateral and unilateral joints, respectively, were: shoulder, 4.0 and 1.8; elbow, 2.6 and 1.8; wrist, 1.9 and 1.5; hip, 1.7 and 3.0; knee, 2.6 and 1.9; ankle, 2.3 and 2.0, finger, 1.4 and 1.2; and toe, 1.0 and 1.1. The shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle had a significant effect on physical impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

The MHAQ score was significantly affected by shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle joint disease. Furthermore, bilateral disease tended to have a greater effect on physical impairment than unilateral disease.

Evaluation of 21-numbered circle and 10-centimeter horizontal line visual analog scales for physician and parent subjective ratings in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

OBJECTIVE

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).

METHODS

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).

RESULTS

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.

CONCLUSION

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.

Development and Testing of Reduced Joint Counts in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Objective

To develop and test reduced joint counts in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods

Four reduced joint counts including 45, 35, 27, and 10 joints were devised by a panel of experienced pediatric rheumatologists, who selected the joints to be included based on the ease of technical assessment, functional relevance, and frequency of involvement. Three large samples of patients with JIA (total n = 4353) who had a detailed joint assessment available were used to develop and test reduced joint counts. Performance of reduced counts was examined by comparing their Spearman correlation with the standard (i.e., complete) joint count. Construct validity was evaluated by calculating Spearman correlation with other JIA outcome measures. Responsiveness to clinical change was determined through the standardized response mean (SRM).

Results

Spearman correlations of reduced joint counts with the whole joint count and with the other JIA outcome measures were comparable, revealing that they had similar ability to serve as surrogate for the whole joint count and construct validity. Responsiveness to clinical change was also comparable across reduced counts (SRM 0.83–1.09 for active joint counts and 0.63–0.81 for restricted joint counts). Based on these results and considering the relative feasibility of the different counts, the 27-joint reduced count is proposed for use in JIA. This joint count includes the cervical spine and the elbow, wrist, metacarpophalangeal (from first to third), proximal interphalangeal, hip, knee, and ankle joints.

Conclusion

Reduced joint counts appear to be as reliable as standard joint counts in assessment of the severity of joint disease and its change over time in children with JIA.

Network in pediatric rheumatology: the example of the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization

BACKGROUND

Pediatric rheumatic diseases (PRDs) are rare conditions associated with significant sequelae affecting the quality of life and long-term outcome. The research aimed at studying new therapeutic approaches is difficult because of logistic, methodological and ethical problems.

DATA SOURCES

To address these problems, two international networks, the Pediatric Rheumatology Collaborative Study Group (PRCSG) and the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization (PRINTO) were established. The two networks share the goal to promote, facilitate and conduct high quality research for PRDs.

RESULTS

The PRINTO and PRCSG networks have standardized the evaluation of response to therapy in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus, and juvenile dermatomyositis, drafted clinical remission criteria in JIA, and provided cross-cultural adapted and validated quality of life instruments including the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire and the Child Health Questionnaire into 32 different languages. In this paper we reviewed how the networks of the PRINTO and PRCSG have created the basic premises for the best future assessment of PRDs.

CONCLUSIONS

The PRINTO and PRCSG networks can be regarded as a model for international cooperation or collaboration in other pediatric subspecialties.

Physical function assessment tools in pediatric rheumatology

Pediatric rheumatic diseases with predominant musculoskeletal involvement such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and juvenile dermatomyositis(JDM) can cause considerable physical functional impairment and significantly affect the children's quality of life (QOL). Physical function, QOL, health-related QOL (HRQOL) and health status are personal constructs used as outcomes to estimate the impact of these diseases and often used as proxies for each other. The chronic, fluctuating nature of these diseases differs within and between patients, and complicates the measurement of these outcomes. In children, their growing needs and expectations, limited use of age-specific questionnaires, and the use of proxy respondents further influences this evaluation. This article will briefly review the different constructs inclusive of and related to physical function, and the scales used for measuring them. An understanding of these instruments will enable assessment of functional outcome in clinical studies of children with rheumatic diseases, measure the impact of the disease and treatments on their lives, and guide us in formulating appropriate interventions.