Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Childhood inflammatory arthritis, currently classified under the umbrella term juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), is the most common immune-mediated paediatric rheumatological condition, affecting 1 in 1000 in the UK. In JIA, both arthritis and its key associated eye inflammation (JIA-uveitis) can be devastating for the child and family.
Currently, young people diagnosed are first given a single drug therapy, but this is only successful in 50% of cases. The remaining half must then try other treatments, one after the other, to find a therapy that works for them.
There are no validated clinical or biological tools with which to predict disease course or outcome, select treatment, or predict response to medication, for either arthritis or uveitis.
Stratified medicine aims to enable accurate treatment stratification and drug choices to increase early remission rates, reduce suffering in children and the adults they become, improve long-term outcomes, and generate economic benefit, while avoiding many years of treatment with ineffective drugs.
In CLUSTER, our vision is to transform treatment pathways for childhood arthritis and its related eye disease, uveitis, such that every child has the opportunity for their own best first-line treatment.
For more information and support for patients, parents and the public visit our dedicated hub here.
Why is research into JIA so important?
In this short film, Emma and Jasmine share their experience living with JIA and why research into this condition is so important. We are hugely grateful to them both for sharing their stories.
For more information and support for patients, parents and the public visit our dedicated hub here.