Treatment of patients with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis with tacrolimus

Previously, few studies have reported treatment with tacrolimus (TAC) for patients with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SOJIA). The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of TAC on patients with SOJIA. Data were collected from the beginning of treatment with TAC to the 12-month endpoint, which was defined as the last follow-up. Clinical characteristics included sex, age, duration of the disease, TAC dose, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), hemoglobin (Hb), platelet (PLT) and white blood cell (WB) levels, prednisolone (PDN) dose and interleukin-6 (IL-6) expression. The baseline characteristics of the patients were: ESR, 67.8 +/- 18.7 mm/h; CRP, 128.0 +/- 38.9 mg/l; Hb, 108.7 +/- 13.7 g/l; PLT, 416.8 +/- 90.1x10(9)/l; WB, 26.0 +/- 10.2x10(9)/l; PDN dose, 49.0 +/- 17.1 mg/day. Following 12 months of treatment with TAC, ESR, CRP, PLT and WB levels, and the dose of PDN required for the treatment of patients with SOIJA were all decreased compared with the baseline values. No serious adverse reactions were reported. Therefore, TAC could be an effective treatment for SOJIA.