Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0003873 (rheumatoid arthritis)
 53,068 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Corticosteroids, although potent suppressors of symptoms and signs of disease, are not effective in curing rheumatoid arthritis in adults or children. Prolonged use of corticosteroids is attended with multiple serious side effects. In JRA, the outlook for most children is good; potentially dangerous drugs should be avoided if at all possible. The indications for corticosteroid usage in JRA might be summarized as: Severe systemic disease unresponsive to salicylates Chronic iridocyclitis unresponsive to topical steroids. Only very rarely for severe arthritis per se; and then with the realization that, although symptoms are being suppressed, the natural history of the disease may not be greatly affected.
 ...
PMID:Corticosteroids in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. 26 22

Chronic iridocyclitis (CI) may complicate juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) and if left untreated may cause significant ocular impairment. It is usually not symptomatic and diagnosis relies on slit lamp biomicroscopy. It is unclear how often children with JCA should be screened for this complication. From a review of the literature, the following recommendations could be made, although these require scientific validation. All children with JCA should have at least one adequate slit lamp examination as soon as possible after diagnosis of the arthritis. If CI is detected then appropriate treatment and follow up should be determined by the ophthalmologist. If CI is not detected initially, all children with JCA should be screened by slit lamp examinations every 3-4 months for the first 5 years after arthritis onset. After 5 years, CI screening could be stopped. The only exceptions would be arthritic children at low risk for CI, including systemic onset JCA, juvenile spondyloarthropathy and juvenile onset rheumatoid arthritis, who do not need to be screened if the initial slit lamp examination is normal.
 ...
PMID:Ophthalmological screening in juvenile arthritis: should the frequency of screening be based on the risk of developing chronic iridocyclitis? 152 33