Grazziotin, Luiza R.Currie, GillianTwilt, MarinkaIjzerman, Maarten J.Kip, Michelle M. A.Koffijberg, HendrikBenseler, Susanne M.Swart, Joost F.Vastert, Sebastiaan J.Wulffraat, Nico M.Yeung, Rae S. M.Marshall, Deborah A.2022-04-172022-04-172022-04-11Pediatric Rheumatology. 2022 Apr 11;20(1):25http://hdl.handle.net/1880/11455210.11575/PRISM/45969Abstract Objective Pharmacological treatment is a cornerstone of care for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The objective of this study is to evaluate prescription patterns of conventional and biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (c-DMARDs and b-DMARDs) for patients with JIA. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children diagnosed with JIA at a rheumatology pediatric clinic. Eligibility criteria were defined as children and youth newly diagnosed with enthesis-related arthritis, polyarticular, or oligoarticular JIA between 2011 and 2019, with at least one year of observation. Data on c-DMARDs and b-DMARDs prescriptions were obtained from electronic medical charts. We used descriptive statistics, Kaplan–Meier survival methods, and Sankey diagrams to describe treatment prescription patterns. Results A total of 325 patients with JIA were included, with a median observation time of 3.7 years. The most frequently prescribed c-DMARD and b-DMARD were methotrexate and etanercept, respectively. Within the first year of rheumatology care, 62% and 21% of patients had a c-DMARD and a b-DMARD prescribed, respectively. These proportions varied greatly by JIA subtype. Among the 147 (147/325, 45%) patients that had at least one b-DMARD prescribed, 24% were prescribed a second, and 7% a third-line of b-DMARD. A total of 112 unique treatment sequences were observed, with c-DMARD monotherapy followed by the addition of either a b-DMARD (56%) or another c-DMARD (30%) being the two most prevalent patterns in this cohort. Conclusion We observed a variety of treatment trajectories, with many patients experiencing multiple treatment lines, illustrating the complexity of the overall JIA treatment path.Journal Article2022-04-17enThe Author(s)https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-022-00682-x