Publications by authors named "Benedetta Schiappapietra"

Objectives: To search for predictors of polyarticular extension in children with oligoarticular-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and to develop a prediction model for an extended course.

Methods: The clinical charts of consecutive patients with oligoarticular-onset JIA and ≥2 years of disease duration were reviewed. Predictor variables included demographic data, number and type of affected joints, presence of iridocyclitis, laboratory tests including antinuclear antibodies, and therapeutic interventions in the first 6 months.

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Objectives: To investigate the frequency of arthritis flare and factors affecting occurrence of flare in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who achieved inactive disease (ID) with methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy.

Methods: A total of 217 patients were included. The modality of treatment discontinuation, time of MTX withdrawal, and disease course were examined retrospectively.

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Background: To investigate the frequency of achievement of inactive disease (ID) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treated with methotrexate (MTX) as the sole disease-modifyng antirheumatic (DMARD) therapy and to develop a prediction model for lack of attainment of ID.

Methods: The clinical charts of consecutive patients started with MTX as the sole DMARD between 2000 and 2013 were reviewed. Patient follow-up was censored at first episode of ID or, in case ID was not reached, at last follow-up visit or when a biologic DMARD was prescribed.

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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a broad term that describes a clinically heterogeneous group of arthritides of unknown cause, which begin before 16 years of age. This term encompasses several disease categories, each of which has distinct presentation, clinical manifestations, and, presumably, genetic background and etiopathogenesis. Although none of the available drugs has curative potential, prognosis has greatly improved as a result of substantial progresses in disease management.

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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), as a chronic condition, is associated with significant disease- and treatment-related morbidity, thus impacting children's quality of life. In order to optimize JIA management, the paediatric rheumatologist has begun to regularly use measurements of disease activity developed, validated and endorsed by international paediatric rheumatology professional societies in an effort to monitor the disease course over time and assess the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in JIA patients.A literature review was performed to describe the main outcome measures currently used in JIA patients to determine disease activity status.

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Juvenile psoriatic arthritis (JPsA) has provided paediatric rheumatologists with a controversial topic for many years. The principal area of contention centres on the discordance between its treatment as a single diagnostic category in current classification schemes and the demonstration of its heterogeneous nature. A further point of debate is the distinctiveness of JPsA as an entity.

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Glucocorticoid (GC) drugs are a potent and rapidly effective therapeutic option for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). These medications are mainly used for the management of the extra-articular features of systemic-onset disease. A course of low-dose prednisone may be considered for achieving a rapid disease control in patients with severe polyarthritis refractory to other therapies or while awaiting the full therapeutic effect of a recently initiated disease-modifying antirheumatic drug or biologic agent.

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Objective: To determine cutoff values for defining the states of inactive disease (ID), low disease activity (LDA; or minimal disease activity), moderate disease activity (MDA), and high disease activity (HDA) using the clinical (3-variable) Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score (cJADAS).

Methods: For selection of cutoffs, data from a clinical database including 609 children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) were used. Optimal cutoffs were determined against external criteria by calculating the 75th and 90th percentile (for ID and LDA) and 10th and 25th percentile (for HDA) of cumulative score distribution and through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.

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Objective: To explore the parent and child acceptable symptom state in juvenile arthritis (JA-PASS and JA-CASS, respectively) and estimate the JA-PASS and JA-CASS cutoff values for outcome measures.

Methods: Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and their parents completed a multi-dimensional questionnaire that included parent-reported and child-reported outcomes and a question about whether they considered the disease state as satisfactory. Additional assessments included demographic data, physician-reported outcomes, and acute-phase reactant levels.

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Objective: To develop and test a new multidimensional questionnaire for assessment of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in standard clinical care.

Methods: The Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report (JAMAR) includes 15 parent or patient-centered measures or items that assess well-being, pain, functional status, health-related quality of life, morning stiffness, disease activity, disease status and course, joint disease, extraarticular symptoms, side effects of medications, therapeutic compliance, and satisfaction with illness outcome. The JAMAR is proposed for use as both a proxy-report and a patient self-report, with the suggested age range of 7-18 years for use as a self-report.

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Objective: To develop and validate a new short and simple measure of health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: 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.

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