In a nutshell
This study investigated quality of life (QoL) with tocilizumab (Actemra) in children with juvenile idopathic arthritis (JIA). They found that tocilizumab improved QoL in these patients.
Some background
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic condition. It is caused by inflammation. Children usually develop symptoms before the age of 16. Systemic JIA (sJIA) is the most severe type. It causes rashes and fevers. It also affects the joints. Polyarticular JIA (pJIA) affects the joints only. JIA is treated with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). DMARDs reduce inflammation. Tocilizumab is a biological DMARD (bDMARD). It targets an inflammatory protein called interleukin-6 (II-6). Therefore, it can reduce inflammation and improve functional ability in JIA.
JIA also has a significant impact on health-related quality of life (QoL). QoL is an important patient reported outcome (PRO) in JIA. Pain and disability are also PROs. It is unclear if tocilizumab improves PROs in children with JIA.
Methods & findings
This study analyzed 2 clinical trials on tocilizumab in patients with JIA. 300 patients with sJIA (112) and pJIA (188) were included. PROs such as pain and disability were assessed through questionnaire after 2 years ot tocilizumab treatment.
All PROs started to improve with tocilizumab after 12 weeks of treatment. After 2 years, well-being scores improved by 87.6% in patients with sJIA and by 83.4% in patients with pJIA. Pain scores improved by 87.6% in patients with sJIA and by 81.3% in patients with pJIA. There were also significant reductions in disability scores in both patients with sJIA and pJIA.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that tocilizumab improved QoL in children with JIA.
The fine print
All patients were treated with tocilizumab. There was no placebo to compare it to.
What’s next?
If you have any concerns regarding JIA management, please consult with your doctor.
Published By :
Arthritis Care & Research
Date :
Jul 23, 2020
