What’s remission?
Remission essentially is inactive disease. For children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) the criteria published by the American College of Rheumatology about remission states children are in remission when the following are present:
- No fever, rash, or inflammation of the lining of the organs.
- No enlargement of the spleen or lymph nodes that can be attributed to arthritis.
- No active uveitis or eye inflammation.
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels within normal laboratory limits, or, if elevated, not attributable to JIA
- Physician’s assessment of disease activity score of “best possible.”
- No morning stiffness lasting 15 minutes or longer.
For a clinical remission on medication, the criteria for inactive disease must be met for a minimum of six months while the patient is taking medication.
For a clinical remission off medication, the criteria for inactive disease must be met for a minimum of 12 consecutive months off medication.
