Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC)
About 50% of systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) patients run a recalcitrant disease course and resistant to the conventional disease modifying anti inflammatoy drugs (DMARDs), ultimately resulting in permanent disability from joint destructions. Thalidomide has been reported as an effective and safe drug in the management of systemic JIA due to its immunomodulatory properties. This was an interventional study, aimed to evaluate the efficacy of thalidomide in refractory JIA patients. Twenty five systemic JIA patients who were refractory to conventional DMARDs were included in this study. These patients were prescribed thalidomide at a dose of 2 3mg/kg/day for 12 months.