Conditions: Chronic Uveitis
Keywords: Childhood Uveitis
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 13
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The primary objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of infliximab for the treatment of persistent uveitis in children. Participants (4-18 years of age) will be randomly assigned to either 5mg/kg or 10mg/kg dose of infliximab to be administered by intravenous infusion at four week intervals. Participant responses will be measured at at four to eight week intervals for up to ten months.

Detailed description:
Pediatric rheumatologists often use infliximab in the treatment of childhood uveitis, at this time there are no prospective studies for this use. Participants will be randomized to initial suggested dose of infliximab (5 mg/kg/dose vs 10 mg/kg/dose) and data will be collected prospectively with regard to ophthalmologic outcomes. Study participants will be followed for up to 10 months to determine efficacy and side effects, and an additional 30 days for safety reports. Descriptive statistics will be gathered on participant demographics, uveitis characteristics, change in immunosuppressive medications, number of responders, ophthalmologic measures and change in corticosteroid dose during the study period. Initial to final dose will be examined by paired t-test. The proportion of responders in the 5 mg/kg initial dose group will be compared to the 10 mg/kg/dose by a Chi-square or Fisher's exact test, depending on numbers available. Predictors of response will be examined by logistic regression.

Arms:
arm 1: 5mg/kg/dose of infliximab IV every 4 weeks for 9 doses arm 2: 10mg/kg/dose of infliximab IV every 4 weeks for 9 doses.

Interventions: intervention 1: infliximab intervention 2: infliximab
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 5mg/kg/dose IV at 4 week intervals intervention 2: 10mg/kg/dose IV at 4 week intervals

Protocol document: