Baseline demographics and characteristics of patients starting MTX and anti-TNF therapy.
| Baseline Demographic | MTX-treated Patients, n = 75 | Anti-TNF–treated Patients, n = 88 |
|---|---|---|
| Age at JIA onset, yrs, median (IQR) | 5.3 (2.5–10.5) | 10.0 (3.9–12.3) |
| Disease duration at therapy start, yrs, median (IQR) | 1.4 (0.5–3.8) | 2.3 (0.9–6.0) |
| Female, n (%) | 52 (69) | 66 (75) |
| ANA-positive, n/N (%) | 48/72 (67) | 25/76 (33) |
| RF-positive, n/N (%) | 10/71 (14) | 13/80 (16) |
| JIA category at MTX or anti-TNF start, n (%) | ||
| Oligoarticular persistent | 13 (17) | 5 (6) |
| Oligoarticular extended | 17 (23) | 24 (27) |
| Polyarticular RF− | 29 (39) | 33 (38) |
| Polyarticular RF+ | 6 (8) | 13 (15) |
| Enthesitis-related arthritis | 6 (8) | 4 (5) |
| Psoriatic | 3 (4) | 9 (10) |
| Not available | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Undifferentiated | 0 | 0 |
| Clinical variables at therapy start, median (IQR) | ||
| Physician’s VAS (0–100) | 38 (22–56) | 54 (30–68) |
| Active joints, n | 5 (2–8) | 10 (5–17) |
| Restricted joints, n | 3 (2–6) | 6 (2–14) |
| Parent/patient VAS (0–100) | 33 (14–56) | 53 (5–70) |
| CHAQ score (0–3) | 1.00 (0.25–1.75) | 1.5 (0.8–2.1) |
| ESR, mm/h | 23 (10–63) | 13 (8–27) |
| Concomitant therapy at therapy start | ||
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 75 (100) | 74 (84) |
| Anti-TNF therapy | 0 | 88 (100) |
| Systemic prednisolone, n/N (%) | 25/61 (41) | 25/88 (28) |
| JADAS-10 (0–40), median (IQR) | 13 (8–20) | 19 (14–23) |
| S100A12 (in-house) at start in ng/ml, median (IQR) | 220 (100–440) | 200 (133–440) |
| S100A12 (CircuLex) at start in ng/ml, median (IQR) | 605 (318–1330) | 348 (195–655) |
MTX: methotrexate; anti-TNF: antitumor necrosis factor; JIA: juvenile idiopathic arthritis; IQR: interquartile range; ANA: antinuclear antibodies; RF: rheumatoid factor; VAS: visual analog scale; CHAQ: Childhood Assessment Questionnaire; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; JADAS-10: Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity.