Recent developments in disease activity indices and outcome measures for juvenile idiopathic arthritis

There has been a concerted and important international effort to develop and validate disease activity and outcome instruments specific to JIA in recent years. This review aims to describe the disease assessment indices important to routine clinical care and integral to the design of outcome studies and clinical trials in JIA. In view of the increasing number of JIA clinical studies and clinical trials, together with a number of national and international paediatric biologic registers, it is important that knowledge of these new outcome measures is widespread, such that results can be placed in a meaningful context.