The goal of this clinical trial is to compare three different maintenance and step-down treatment strategies in children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in sustained remission. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the proportion of study participants with a disease flare different between each of the two drug withdrawal arms and the stable treatment arm during 12 months? * Does the proportion of study participants with a disease flare differ between the two drug withdrawal arms during 12 months? * How long time does it take before a disease flare occurs, and how long does it take before disease remission is reestablished for participants in the different treatment arms? Participants will be randomized to either A) continued stable treatment with methotrexate and tumor-necrosis alpha inhibitor (TNFi); B) gradual withdrawal of methotrexate while continued stable dose TNFi; or C) gradual withdrawal of TNFi. Participants will be examined every 4 month, and with extra visits if they experience increased symptoms or suspect a disease flare. If a flare occurs, the medications received at study inclusion will be restarted.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
150
Gradual withdrawal of the medication
Gradual withdrawal of the medication
Haukeland University Hospital
Bergen, Norway
RECRUITINGDrammen Hospital
Drammen, Norway
RECRUITINGHospital of Southern Norway Hospital Trust
Kristiansand, Norway
RECRUITINGOslo University Hospital
Oslo, Norway
RECRUITINGStavanger University Hospital
Stavanger, Norway
RECRUITINGUniversity Hospital of North Norway
Tromsø, Norway
RECRUITINGSt. Olavs Hospital
Trondheim, Norway
RECRUITINGProportion of patients with disease flare
Disease flare is defined as a combination of: A clinical significant increase in Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score 27 (JADAS-27\*) ≥1.7 from baseline AND active joints ≥1 (swollen, or tender + limited range of motion) OR consensus between treating physician and participant/parents that a clinically significant flare has occurred with need of intensification of antirheumatic treatment. \*JADAS-27 is a composite measure of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) disease activity, calculated as a sum of scores from four components giving a score of 0-57. The components included are physician global assessment of disease activity, parent/patient's global assessment of well-being, active joint count of 27 joints and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) normalized to a 0-10 scale.
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Proportion of patients with disease flare between two different withdrawal strategies
Disease flare is defined as a combination of: A clinical significant increase in Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score 27 (JADAS-27\*) ≥1.7 from baseline AND active joints ≥1 (swollen, or tender + limited range of motion) OR consensus between treating physician and participant/parents that a clinically significant flare has occurred with need of intensification of antirheumatic (DMARD) treatment. \*JADAS-27 is a composite measure of JIA disease activity, calculated as a sum of scores from four components giving a score of 0-57. The components included are physician global assessment of disease activity, parent/patient's global assessment of well-being, active joint count of 27 joints and ESR normalized to a 0-10 scale.
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Time to disease flare
JADAS-27, physician's global assessment of diseasae activity, paren't/patient's global assessment, swollen, tender and range of motion joint count (assessed in 71 joints), ESR/CRP, consensus between treating physiciand and patient/parents (uveitis, arthritis on imaging, psoriasis, inflammatory back pain, enthesitis, other; yes/no) \*JADAS-27 is a composite measure of JIA disease activity, calculated as a sum of scores from four components giving a score of 0-57. The components inculded are physician global assessment of disease activity, parent/patient's global assessment of well-being, active joint count of 27 joints and ESR normalized to a 0-10 scale.
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Time to regain inactive disease by the Wallace definition* after flare
JADAS-27, Wallace inactive disease\*, physician's global assessment of disease activity, paren't/patient's global assessment, swollen, tender and range of motion joint count (assessed in 71 joints), ESR/CRP, consensus between treating physiciand and patient/parents (uveitis, arthritis on imaging, psoriasis, inflammatory back pain, enthesitis, other; yes/no). \*Wallace inactive disease: No active arthritis, no active uveitis, no morning stiffness \>15 minutes, no systemic features (fever/rash/serositis/splenomegaly/lymphadenopathy due to JIA), a physician global assessment of disease activity 0 on a 0-100 scale) and normalization of C-reactive protien (CRP) and ESR.
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Physician global assessment of disease activity
Physician global assessment of disease activity is measured on a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS). The anchors of the scale are "very well" to "very poor".
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Disease activity assessed by joint count
In total 68 joints will be evaluated for swelling, 75 joints/joint areas will be evaluated for tenderness and 70 joints/joint areas will be examined for limitation of motion. JADAS10, JADAS27 and JADAS71 and 71-joint count will be computed from this examination
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Patient's/parent's global assessment of well-being
Patient's/parent's global assessment of well-being will be assessed on a 100 mm visual analouge scale.
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Concentration of Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), will be measured at all clinical visits
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP)
C-reactive protein (CRP) will be measured at all clinical visits
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
Numbers and type of adverse events (AE)
Assessment of AE, serious AE and suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions
Time frame: 4, 8 and 12 months
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