Intra-articular corticosteroid injection 'best treatment for knee arthritis in children'

Intra-articular corticosteroid injection is the best treatment strategy for youngsters suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who have one affected knee.

This is according to a new study published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research.

Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine reviewed outcomes after six months of treatment in 12 patients.

The three most common treatments for knee 'monoarthritis' in JIA patients were non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), NSAIDs followed by intra-articular corticosteroid injection if the arthritis had not improved after two months, and intra-articular corticosteroid injection alone.

Results showed that 92 per cent of patients preferred intra-articular corticosteroid injection, with only one participant preferring NSAIDs only.

"Initial [intra-articular corticosteroid injection] appears to be the optimal treatment strategy for knee monoarthritis in JIA," the researchers concluded.

A spokesman for the Arthritis Research Campaign said that steroids injected directly into the affected joint were an effective and useful treatment in most forms of inflammatory arthritis.

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