Clinical response to etanercept in polyarticular course juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Objective. To evaluate safety and clinical response to treatment with etane rcept in the polyarticular course of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arth ritis (JRA). Methods. Ten patients were studied (8 female, 2 male: 6 polyarticular JRA, 4 systemic onset. mean age 13.3 yrs; mean duration of disease 6.6 yrs). Pat ients received 0.4 mg/kg etanercept subcutaneously twice weekly in addition to their existing therapeutic regimen. Observed duration of treatment rang ed between 4 and 12 months. Results. Patients tolerated treatment with etanercept well. No serious adve rse events were noted. Treatment response showed considerable improvement o f morning stiffness (mean reduction of 96 min congruent to -93%) and joint counts including swollen joints (Delta -8.2 congruent to -40%), tender join ts (Delta -9.2 congruent to -88%), and total joints (Delta -9.8 congruent t o -37%). Laboratory results included decreases in ESR (Delta -46 mm/h congr uent to -53%) and improvement of anemia. Conclusion. Our results confirm etanercept is a powerful adjunct in the the rapy of polyarticular JRA resistant to conventional treatment regimens.