The risk of hospitalized infection following initiation of biologic agents versus methotrexate in the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Background In the present study, we compared the incidence of hospitalized infection among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) following initiation of treatment with biologic agents versus methotrexate (MTX). Methods We used national Medicaid claims data from 2000 through 2010 to create cohorts of children with JIA who were new users of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), anakinra, and MTX (without concurrent biologic agent use) as defined by a 6-month baseline period of nonuse. Because most anakinra users have systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), we used claims to... Mehr ...