Comparison of the benefits and risks in the treatment of chronic juvenile arthritis with gold salts

Benefits and risks of gold therapy in patients with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) were reviewed. An improvement of laboratory and clinical parameters was observed in eight out of the 16 children of the sample (10 boys and 6 girls). The side effects were noticed in 5 patients, but only in one of these children gold therapy had to be stopped due to alopecia areata. Corticosteroid dose was significantly reduced in 7 out of the 11 patients. It is concluded that gold salts may be effectively applied as primary therapy in children with JCA, with no more risk than in adults.