Table 2.
Demographic and clinical data from the initial evaluation of the patients who flared and did not during the study
| Total patients (n = 35) | Flare (n = 20) | No flare (n = 15) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age ± SD (years) | 11.5 ± 3.6 | 11.6 ± 4 | 0.856‡ |
| Mean age at JIA onset ± SD (years) | 3.8 ± 2.8 | 5.1 ± 3.5 | 0.298‡ |
| Mean time of JIA duration ± SD (years) | 7.6 ± 3.1 | 6.3 ± 4.1 | 0.202‡ |
| Females | 17 | 11 | 0.430a |
| Joint involvement | 0.486† | ||
| Oligoarticular (Oligoarticular persistent) | 7 | 7 | |
| Polyarticular (Oligoarticular extended + polyarticular) | 13 (8 + 5) | 8 (4 + 4) | |
| ANA | 12 | 8 | 0.693† |
| Previous uveitis | 4 | 0 | 0.119a |
| Type of clinical remission | 0.129a | ||
| On medication | 17 | 9 | |
| Mean time on clinical remission ± SD | 1.2 ± 0.5 years | 2.6 ± 3.2 years | 0.064‡ |
| CHAQ median (min – max) | 0 (0–0.375) | 0 (0–0.375) | 0.805‡ |
| Global physician’s VAS median (min – max) | 0 (0–1)b | 0 (0) | 0.805‡ |
| Global parents or patient’s VAS median (min – max) | 0 (0–4) | 0 (0–5) | 0.352‡ |
| ESR mm3/h mean ± SD | 7.5 ± 5.7 | 6 ± 3.5 | 0.587‡ |
| CRP mg/dL mean ± SD | 0.25 ± 0.15 | 0.23 ± 0.14 | 0.730‡ |
SD standard deviation, JIA juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ANA antinuclear antibody, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CRP C-reactive protein, CHAQ Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire, VAS visual analogue scale
aFisher’s test, † chi-squared test, ‡ Mann-Whitney test
bOne patient received a Global physician’s VAS of 1 due to joint limitation explained by previous joint damage and not due to active disease at the time of evaluation