No Inactive Disease, | 1 Episode of Inactive Disease, | ≥ 2 Episodes of Inactive Disease, | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Feature | n | n = 62 | n | n = 40 | n | n = 21 | p |
No. (%) male/female | 62 | 18 (29)/44 (71) | 40 | 9 (23)/31 (78) | 21 | 5 (24)/16 (76) | 0.74a |
ILAR category, n (%) | 62 | 40 | 21 | 0.16a | |||
Oligoarthritis extended | 23 (37.1) | 23 (57.5) | 10 (47.6) | ||||
Polyarthritis | 17 (27.4) | 11 (27.5) | 4 (19) | ||||
Systemic arthritis | 22 (35.5) | 6 (15) | 7 (33.3) | ||||
Age at disease onset, yrs | 62 | 4.2 (2.1; 6.6) | 40 | 3.3 (2; 6.4) | 21 | 3.9 (1.9; 4.8) | 0.67c |
Disease duration, yrs | 62 | 0.8 (0.3; 1.8) | 39 | 0.4 (0.2; 1.5) | 21 | 0.6 (0.4; 1.9) | 0.40c |
Interval disease onset–first observation, yrs | 62 | 0.8 (0.4; 1.8) | 40 | 0.5 (0.2; 1.5) | 21 | 0.6 (0.4; 1.9) | 0.41c |
Interval first–last observation, yrs | 62 | 8.1 (6.8–10.5) | 40 | 7.0 (6.5–9.0) | 21 | 6.7 (6.4–7.4) | 0.06c |
Interval disease onset–methotrexate start, yrs | 62 | 2.1 (0.8; 4.2) | 40 | 2.1 (0.8; 4.8) | 21 | 1.3 (0.6; 3.0) | 0.25c |
Physician’s global assessment | 32 | 7.5 (7.5; 10) | 27 | 7.3 (4.6; 8.1) | 19 | 7.5 (6.1; 9.0) | 0.09c |
Parent’s global assessment | 22 | 3.0 (2.0; 6.9) | 23 | 3.3 (1.5; 6.3) | 18 | 4 (1.7; 5.5) | 0.83c |
Parent’s pain assessment | 13 | 5.0 (0.7; 6.0) | 21 | 3.4 (2.3; 6.5) | 15 | 3.3 (2.0; 5.0) | 0.97c |
Swollen joint count | 59 | 4.0 (2.0; 10.0) | 38 | 3.0 (2.0; 5.0) | 21 | 7.0 (4.0; 17.0) | 0.009*c |
Tender joint count | 59 | 3.0 (0.0; 9.0) | 38 | 2.5 (1.0; 5.0) | 21 | 6.0 (3.0; 16.0) | 0.02†c |
Restricted joint count | 59 | 4.0 (1.0; 9.0) | 38 | 3.5 (1.0; 6.0) | 21 | 6.0 (3.0; 8.0) | 0.17c |
Active joint count | 59 | 5.0 (3.0; 14.0) | 38 | 4.0 (2.0; 7.0) | 21 | 7.0 (5.0; 22.0) | 0.02††c |
CHAQ disability index | 39 | 0.6 (0.0; 1.0) | 28 | 0.5 (0.2; 1.1) | 19 | 0.8 (0; 1.3) | 0.59c |
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, mm/h | 59 | 50 (32; 77) | 38 | 43.5 (25; 67) | 21 | 37 (22; 56) | 0.27c |
C-reactive protein, mg/dl | 29 | 4.6 (0.6; 6.5) | 26 | 1.6 (0.7; 6.8) | 19 | 1.9 (0.4; 5.2) | 0.44c |
Poznanski score, units | 33 | –0.86 (–1.6; –0.1) | 18 | –0.8 (–1; 0.1) | 13 | –0.5 (–1.3; 0.1) | 0.75c |
Duration of methotrexate therapy, yrs** | 62 | 4.4 (3.6; 5.0) | 40 | 3.8 (3.1; 4.6) | 21 | 3.9 (3.2; 4.7) | 0.04***c |
No. (%) patients who received cyclosporine** | 62 | 31 (50.0) | 40 | 11 (27.5) | 21 | 3 (14.3) | 0.005†††a |
No. (%) patients who received sulfasalazine** | 62 | 11 (17.7) | 40 | 7 (17.5) | 21 | 0 (0.0) | 0.09b |
No. (%) patients who received etanercept** | 62 | 11 (17.7) | 40 | 7 (17.5) | 21 | 1 (4.8) | 0.37b |
No. (%) patients who received prednisone** | 62 | 21 (33.9) | 40 | 9 (22.5) | 21 | 5 (23.8) | 0.40a |
ILAR: International League of Associations of Rheumatology; CHAQ: Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire. See Table 1 for score ranges of outcome measures.
↵** In the first 5 years after first observation.
↵a chi-squared test;
↵b Fisher’s exact test;
↵c Kruskal-Wallis test. Post-hoc comparisons:
↵* swollen joint count is greater in patients with ≥ 2 episodes of inactive disease than in patients with 1 episode of inactive disease (Dunn’s test; p < 0.01);
↵† tender joint count is greater in patients with ≥ 2 episodes of inactive disease than in patients with 1 episode of inactive disease (Dunn’s test; p < 0.05);
↵†† active joint count is greater in patients with ≥ 2 episodes of inactive disease than in patients with 1 episode of inactive disease (Dunn’s test; p < 0.05);
↵*** Dunn’s test not significant;
↵††† frequency of cyclosporine therapy is greater in patients with no inactive disease than in patients with ≥ 2 episodes of inactive disease (chi-square with Bonferroni correction; p = 0.01).