Arthritis At Home 335 – Medications should be tapered in patients with inflammatory arthritis who are in remission
In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Jaime Guzman, Pediatric Rheumatologist and Clinical Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital. He discusses about using statistics from juvenile arthritis cases to support his argument that medications should be tapered in patients with inflammatory arthritis in remission. Dr. Guzman highlights that about 50% of children living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis do not need medications by the time they are 18 years old. This percentage varies depending on the types of juvenile arthritis kids may have.
In addition, Dr. Guzman shares how arthritis affects and presents differently in adult and juvenile arthritis. The importance is early detection and early treatment. He concludes with a hopeful message that even though there are less medications available for juvenile arthritis, most children fair well on non-medicated therapies such as physical therapy and making lifestyle choices such as increasing exercise, rest, and asking for accommodations at school to prevent stress.
About Dr. Jaime Guzman
Dr. Jaime Guzman is a Pediatric Rheumatologist and Clinical Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia. He specializes in treating children with rheumatic diseases and leads research on Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) outcomes, including the national CAPRI registry.
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