Tumour necrosis factor inhibitors in treatment of a child with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and associated uveitis

The most common rheumatic disease associated with uveitis in childhood is juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and it occurs in about 15% of patients. Females, younger than 10 years of age, with oligoarticular, antinuclear antibody positive JIA, are at the highest risk for developing chronic uveitis. The course of uveitis is unpredictable with frequent complications, of which cataract and glaucoma as the most common. Therapeutic approach is individual and still remains a challenge for paediatric rheumatologists and ophthalmologists. Biological drugs were introduced fifteen years ago as an alternative mode of therapy with encouraging results. We present a patient with a polyarticular type of JIA and associated uveitis, treated with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors.

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