| Disease activity parameters | Etanercept monotreatment | Etanercept and methotrexate | ||
| Start of treatment (n = 100) | Month 12 (n = 55) | Start of treatment (n = 504) | Month 12 (n = 376) | |
| Number of tender joints | 6.2 (9.8) | 1.0 (1.7) | 9.0 (9.9) | 1.8 (4.3) |
| Number of active joints | 6.8 (8.2)* | 1.9 (3.8) | 10.0 (9.7)* | 2.3 (4.6) |
| Number of swollen joints | 5.8 (8.1) | 1.7 (3.7) | 8.1 (9.2) | 1.9 (4.5) |
| Morning stiffness (min) | 31 (16)† | 8 (20) | 46 (63)† | 7 (21) |
| Number of joints with limited mobility | 8.4 (10.7) | 4.6 (6.4) | 10.8 (11.1) | 5.0 (7.8) |
| Patient’s assessment (100 mm VAS) | 5.1 (2.7) | 1.8 (1.9) | 5.6 (2.6) | 1.5 (2.0) |
| Doctor’s assessment (100 mm VAS) | 5.8 (2.6) | 1.9 (2.1) | 6.2 (2.6) | 1.7 (2.2) |
| CHAQ (0–3) | 0.75 (0.63) | 0.32 (0.44) | 0.90 (0.72) | 0.38 (0.57) |
| ESR (mm/h) | 30 (26) | 10 (10) | 33 (26) | 14 (15) |
| CRP (mg/litre) | 25 (40)† | 10 (46) | 30 (38)† | 8 (16) |
| Etanercept (mg/kg) | 0.48 (0.17) | 0.48 (0.19) | 0.48 (0.18) | 0.48 (0.17) |
| Methotrexate (mg/m2) | 0 | 0 | 13.6 (7.3) | 11–5 (4.8) |
| Prednisone (mg/kg) | 0.25 (0.42) | 0.15 (0.09) | 0.21 (0.22) | 0.2 (0.3) |
| Patients on prednisone (%) | 48%‡ | 25% | 62%‡ | 29% |
Patient assessment was made by the patient and/or parent; a visual analogue scale (VAS) was used with higher scores meaning more active disease. Scores from Child Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (CHAQ DI) can range from 0 (best) to 3 (worst). Values are mean (SD) unless otherwise indicated.
*p<0.005, Student t test; †p<0.05, Student t test; ‡p<0.025, χ2 test.
CRP, C-reactive protein; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; VAS, visual analogue scale.