A Retrospective Study Determining the Efficacy of Etanercept Treatment in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in a Small Clinic Setting

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of etanercept therapy on C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in an ambulatory pediatric clinic. Methods: This project used a pretest-posttest design that assessed patients before treatment with etanercept and then 6 months after the treatment was begun. Pre-treatment and post-treatment data were obtained through a retrospective chart review. A chart review was performed to collect each patient’s ESR, CRP, height, weight, BMI, and demographic data using a standardized data collection instrument. A paired t-test was performed to compare the pre-treatment and post-treatment data for the ESR, CRP, height, weight and BMI measurements. Results: Nine patients were identified that met the study inclusion. The mean age (SD) of the patients was 13.1 (4.4) years. Increases in weight and height parameters were seen after 6 months of etanercept treatment (p= 0.05, 0.002, respectively). There were no differences found in BMI, CRP and ESR parameters (p= 0.133, 0.753, 0.188, respectively) between the pre and post measurements. Conclusions: This pre-post analysis of 9 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis found that etanercept therapy was associated with a significant gain in weight and height. However, this study found no differences in CRP or ESR after etanercept treatment. Additional research in larger populations is needed to more fully describe the changes in monitoring parameters following etanercept therapy.