Beyond the guidelines management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a case report of a girl with polyarticular disease refractory to multiple treatment options and Leri Weill syndrome

Bibliographic Details
Title: Beyond the guidelines management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a case report of a girl with polyarticular disease refractory to multiple treatment options and Leri Weill syndrome
Authors: Vana Vukić, Ana Smajo, Mandica Vidović, Rudolf Vukojević, Miroslav Harjaček, Lovro Lamot
Source: BMC Pediatrics, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2021)
Publisher Information: BMC, 2021.
Publication Year: 2021
Collection: LCC:Pediatrics
Subject Terms: Case report, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Leri Weill syndrome, Madelung deformity, Tofacitinib., Pediatrics, RJ1-570
More Details: Abstract Background The last two decades brought new treatment options and high quality guidelines into the paediatric rheumatologic practice. Nevertheless, a number of patients still present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to combination of vague symptoms and unresponsiveness to available treatment modalities. Case presentation We report a case of sixteen years old girl suffering from polyarticular type of juvenile idiopathic arthritis refractory to multiple treatment options. She first presented at the age of 4 with swelling and contractures of both knees. Her symptoms were initially unresponsive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and progressed despite treatment with intraarticular and systemic glucocorticoids and methotrexate. Throughout the years, she received several biologics together with continuous administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs as well as intraarticular and systemic glucocorticoids in disease flares. However, none of this options provided a permanent remission, so various other modalities, as well as other possible diagnoses were constantly being considered. Eventually she became dependent on a daily dose of systemic glucocorticoids. In 2018, the treatment with Janus kinase inhibitor tofacitinib was initiated, which led to gradual amelioration of musculoskeletal symptoms, improvement of inflammatory markers and overall well-being, as well as to the weaning of systemic glucocorticoids. As the swelling of the wrists subsided for the first time in many years, Madelung’s deformity was noticed, first clinically, and later radiographically as well. Genetic analysis revealed short-stature homeobox gene deficiency and confirmed the diagnosis of Leri Weill syndrome. Conclusions This case report emphasizes the need for reporting refractory, complicated cases from everyday clinical practice in order to build-up the overall knowledge and share experience which is complementary to available guidelines. Individual reports of difficult to treat cases, especially when additional diagnoses are involved, can be helpful for physicians treating patients with common rheumatological diseases such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1471-2431
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/1471-2431
DOI: 10.1186/s12887-021-02494-6
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/0ddac63fec864bbe8b41b54ad6de9746
Accession Number: edsdoj.0ddac63fec864bbe8b41b54ad6de9746
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:14712431
DOI:10.1186/s12887-021-02494-6
Published in:BMC Pediatrics
Language:English