Variation of serum IgG subclass concentrations with disease activity in juvenile chronic arthritis

Article Abstract:

Juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA), a long-term inflammatory disease affecting the entire body, may cause joint or connective tissue damage and lesions in internal organs. The disease usually develops before the age of 16 years, and complete remission occurs in 75 percent of patients. Patients with JCA were shown to have increased levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), a specialized protein also called an antibody, which specifically binds with and inactivates foreign particles. Other studies have shown that different amounts of IgG subclasses, IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3, are detected in JCA patients with varying disease activity. For example, increased levels of IgG2 were found in JCA patients in partial remission when compared with JCA patients in an active disease state or in complete remission. This suggested that specific changes in the IgG subclasses occur in association with the course of disease. IgG subclasses were measured in 19 patients with JCA who were divided into groups depending on disease activity. The results were compared with normal values obtained in 448 healthy children, ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years. Results showed that patients with partial remission had increased levels of IgG2 and decreased levels of IgG1 when compared with patients with active disease. This suggests that the remission process of JCA is associated with changes in IgG subclass production. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Identification and classification, Immunoglobulin G

---

Correlation between conventional disease activity measures in juvenile chronic arthritis

Article Abstract:

It may be necessary to continue evaluating several measurements of disease activity among patients with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA). Correlations were calculated among categories of routine disease activity measurements including those measuring pain, joint function, joint inflammation, and blood marker levels for 55 patients with JCA. There did not seem to be any correlations between categories of disease activity measurements. However, most measurements made within a category of disease activity correlated with each other.

Arthritis

---

Performance of the preliminary definition of improvement in juvenile chronic arthritis patients treated with methotrexate

Article Abstract:

A standardized definition of improvement appears to be accurate and effective in measuring the response to treatment in children receiving methotrexate for juvenile chronic arthritis. Researchers evaluated the preliminary definition of improvement (PDI) in 111 children after six months of methotrexate therapy. The PDI identified 66% of patients as improved, consistent with other studies of methotrexate effectiveness. A sensitive component of the PDI is a parental assessment of improvement in the child.

Evaluation, Drug therapy, Methotrexate, Outcome and process assessment (Health Care), Outcome and process assessment (Medical care)

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Effect of oral milrinone on mortality in severe chronic heart failure. A comparison of oral milrinone, digoxin, and their combination in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure
• Abstracts: Atrial natriuretic factor maternal and fetal concentrations in severe preeclampsia. Effect of placental laterality on uterine artery resistance and development of preeclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation
• Abstracts: Relation of body fat patterning to lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in children and adolescents: the Bogalusa heart study
• Abstracts: Treatment of neuroendocrine carcinomas with combined etoposide and cisplatin: evidence of major therapeutic activity in the anaplastic variants of these neoplasms
• Abstracts: Pulmonary syndrome in patients with thalassemia major receiving intravenous deferoxamine infusions. Acute changes in renal function associated with deferoxamine therapy

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.