Analysis of therapeutic effect of thalidomide on refractory systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 国际儿科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To analyze and summarize the efficacy and safety of thalidomide in the treatment of refractory systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis（sJIA）.Methods:The clinical data of ten patients with refractory sJIA admitted to Department of Nephrology and Immunology in Children's Hospital of Hebei Province from January 2015 to March 2022 were collected，and the clinical manifestations，efficacy and safety of thalidomide in the treatment of refractory sJIA were analyzed retrospectively. Systemic juvenile arthritis disease activity score（sJADAS）was used to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. Statistical analysis was performed by repeated measurements using general linear models.Results:Among the 10 children（4 males and 6 females）with refractory sJIA，the average age of onset was（7.5±3.3）years. Seven patients were complicated with macrophage activation syndrome at an early stage of disease.The average course of disease was（4.4±1.7）years，and the longest course of disease was 8.3 years. Before the application of thalidomide，all the 10 children experienced relapses（ranging from 2 to 10 times）. The indices of 10 children treated with thalidomide at 6 months and 12 months were compared with those before treatment. Peripheral blood leukocytes［（10.19±3.67）×10 9/L，（8.53±2.83）×10 9/L vs.（16.11±7.81）×10 9/L， F=7.918，11.084， P=0.020，0.009］，C-reactive protein［19.13（0.38，35.21）mg/L，8.05（0.10，18.00）mg/L vs. 59.34（24.20，131.90）mg/L， F=7.030，12.731， P=0.026，0.006］，sJADAS scores［6.00（1.50，12.50）scores，3.00（0，12.50）scores vs. 20.00（11.50，28.00）scores， F=14.710，17.870， P=0.004，0.002］were decreased significantly. The doses of prednisone［0.13（0，0.45）mg/（kg·d），0.02（0，0.06）mg/（kg·d）vs. 0.42（0.16，1.47）mg/（kg·d）， F=5.890，7.623， P=0.041，0.022］were significantly decreased.All the differences were statistically significant. Prednisone was successfully discontinued in 7 cases. Tocilizumab was gradually withdrawn in 3 cases，and tocilizumab administration interval was prolonged in 1 case. None of the 10 children had serious adverse reactions. Conclusion:Thalidomide is clinically effective in the treatment of sJIA，and can reduce the required dose of prednisone and prolong the tocilizumab free remission.