Current treatment for chronic arthritis in childhood

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Published on: May 16, 2025

Randy Q Cron1

  • 1The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4318, USA. rqcron@mail.med.upenn.edu

Current Opinion in Pediatrics
|November 19, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Treatment for childhood chronic arthritis is advancing rapidly. Key treatments include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, methotrexate, and corticosteroid injections, with newer biologic therapies offering improved disease control.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Rheumatology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Chronic arthritis in children presents significant management challenges.
  • Traditional treatments have limitations in achieving long-term disease control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current and emerging treatment strategies for chronic arthritis in children.
  • To highlight advancements in disease management and future therapeutic directions.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on pediatric chronic arthritis treatments.
  • Analysis of the efficacy of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, methotrexate, and corticosteroid injections.
  • Evaluation of the impact of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and emerging biologic therapies.

Main Results:

  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are foundational, but methotrexate and intra-articular corticosteroids significantly improve disease control.
  • Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors have demonstrated substantial efficacy in managing disease activity.
  • Aggressive therapies are reserved for refractory cases, with promising targeted biologic treatments on the horizon.

Conclusions:

  • Significant progress has been made in treating chronic arthritis in children.
  • The advent of targeted biologic therapies offers a brighter future for affected children.
  • Continued research into novel treatments is crucial for optimizing pediatric arthritis management.

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