PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Carolina Birolo AU - Maria Elisabetta Zannin AU - Svetlana Arsenyeva AU - Rolando Cimaz AU - Elisabetta Miserocchi AU - Margarita Dubko AU - Chantal Job Deslandre AU - Fernanda Falcini AU - Maria Alessio AU - Francesco La Torre AU - Ekaterina Denisova AU - Giorgia Martini AU - Irina Nikishina AU - Francesco Zulian TI - Comparable Efficacy of Abatacept Used as First-line or Second-line Biological Agent for Severe Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-related Uveitis AID - 10.3899/jrheum.151389 DP - 2016 Nov 01 TA - The Journal of Rheumatology PG - 2068--2073 VI - 43 IP - 11 4099 - http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/11/2068.short 4100 - http://www.jrheum.org/content/43/11/2068.full SO - J Rheumatol2016 Nov 01; 43 AB - Objective. Abatacept (ABA) has recently been proposed as second-line treatment in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)–associated uveitis refractory to anti–tumor necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF) agents, but little is known about its efficacy as a first-line approach. The aim of the present study was to compare the safety and efficacy of ABA as a first-line biological agent (ABA-1) with that of ABA as a second-line treatment after 1 or more anti-TNF agents (ABA-2), in patients with severe JIA-related uveitis.Methods. In this multicenter study, we collected data on patients with severe JIA-related uveitis treated with ABA as a first-line or second-line biological agent. Changes in frequency of uveitis flares/year and ocular complications before and after ABA treatment, clinical remission, and side effects were recorded.Results. Thirty-five patients with a mean age of 10.8 years were treated with ABA for a mean period of 19.6 months. In 4 patients, ABA administration was discontinued, owing to inefficacy on arthritis in 3 cases and allergic reaction in 1. Thirty-one patients, 14 in the ABA-1 group and 17 in the ABA-2 group, completed the 12-month followup period; of these, 17 (54.8%) had clinical remission. The mean frequency of uveitis flares decreased from 4.1 to 1.2 in the ABA-1 group (p = 0.002) and from 3.7 to 1.2 in the ABA-2 group (p = 0.004). Preexisting ocular complications improved or remained stable in all but 5 patients, all in the ABA-2 group. No significant difference was found between the efficacy of the 2 treatment modalities. ABA confirmed its good safety profile.Conclusion. ABA, used as first-line biological treatment or after 1 or more anti-TNF agents, induces a comparable improvement in severe refractory JIA-related uveitis.