Castillo-Vilella M, Giménez N, Tandaipan JL, et al. - The 9 years of follow-up of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients treated with synthetic and/or biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) revealed achievement of clinical remission (CR) in more than two thirds of patients, and attainment of CR off medication in nearly one third of patients.

• This observational, ambispective study included 206 JIA patients treated with synthetic and/or biologic DMARD.

• Remission was achieved and sustained more frequently in females with early JIA onset, lower active joint count and antinuclear antibodies positivity.

• This was especially true when they were receiving synthetic DMARD alone and in the absence of HLA B27, comorbidities or previous DMARD toxicity.

• 124 DMARD treatments (62%) were withdrawn, 64% of which relapsed.

• Relapse rates were lower in cases with persistent oligoarticular JIA (93%) when DMARD dose was tapered prior to withdrawal (77%).