To evaluate the efficacy of oral chicken type I1 collagen (CCII) in the treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).
Methods. Ten patients with active JRA were treated with CCII for 12 weeks. Efficacy parameters, which included swollen and tender joint count and score, grip strength, 50-foot walking time, duration of morning stiffness, and patient and physician global scores of disease severity, were assessed monthly.
Results. All patients completed the full course of therapy. Eight patients had reductions in both swollen and tender joint counts after 3 months of CCII. The mean changes from baseline in swollen and tender joint counts for the 8 responders at the end of the study were -61% and -54947, respectively. Mean values for other efficacy parameters also showed improvement from baseline. There were no adverse events that were considered to be treatment related.
Conclusion.
Oral CCII may be a safe and effective therapy for JRA, and its use in this disease warrants further investigation.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) affects an estimated 65,000-70,000 children in the US (1). While it has been suggested that JRA has a better prognosis than adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (2), more recent data show that -45% of children with JRA have active disease at 10-year followup (3).
Current treatment options for JRA are often unsatisfactory, because of both limited efficacy and