[Methotrexate in the therapy of juvenile idiopathic arthritis].
Holzinger D, Frosch M, Föll D
Research article (journal)Abstract
Treatment with low-dose methotrexate (MTX) is an important element in the therapy of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). It could be demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials that MTX is a safe and effective drug which is generally well tolerated by children and adolescents. MTX is usually used at a dose of 10-15 mg/m(2)/week, whereby oral administration is preferred for children. Side effects occur mainly in the form of gastro-intestinal discomfort such as nausea and vomiting or raised transaminases, which can be effectively treated with folic-acid supplementation.There are no general recommendations to date regarding in particular duration and discontinuation of MTX treatment or combination treatment with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or biologics. These unresolved questions are the subject of current trials in which biomarkers have an increasingly important role.
Details about the publication
Authors from the University of Münster
| Föll, Dirk | University Children's Hospital - Department for General Paediatrics |
| Frosch, Michael | University Children's Hospital - Department for General Paediatrics |
| Holzinger, Dirk | Institute of Immunology |