Long-term outcome of juvenile idiopathic arthritis following a placebo-controlled trial: sustained benefits of early sulfasalazine treatment.

Objectives: A previous 24-week randomised trial demonstrated that sulfasalazine (SSZ) treatment was superior to placebo (PLAC) in suppressing disease activity in patients with oligo- and polyarticular onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The current study determines the long-term outcome of the trial participants and evaluates whether the benefits of SSZ allocation are sustained over time.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2003, 32 SSZ and 29 PLAC patients (90% of all patients) were prospectively examined clinically and by chart review, median 9 years (range 7 to 10) after trial inclusion.

Development of a standardized method of assessment of radiographs and radiographic change in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: introduction of the Dijkstra composite score.

Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity to change of a newly developed radiologic assessment tool, the Dijkstra score, and to develop a numeric composite score and progressor classification scheme to apply in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) trials.

Methods: A placebo-controlled trial of sulfasalazine (SSZ) in patients with oligoarticular- and polyarticular-onset JIA yielded the data for this study. Data were obtained from 418 sets of radiographs of the clinically involved and contralateral joints (at study entry and at 6 months' followup) from 66 JIA patients.

Destructive joint disease in alpha-mannosidosis. A case report and review of the literature.

Storage of oligosaccharides due to a deficiency of alpha-mannosidase can lead to joint destruction in children and young adults. Treating hip destruction with a prosthesis might be successful in some of these patients, although diminished bone quality increases the risk of loosening of the prosthesis.