Chhabra A, et al. - Using data from a nation-wide inception cohort and strict methods to control bias, simple juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) treatment strategies recommended in current guidelines were evaluated for their real-world effectiveness. Researchers observed 4,429 treatment episodes in 1352 children at 16 Canadian centers, who were followed for up to 5 years. They defined success as the attainment of inactive disease or maintenance of this state when stepping down treatment; for children with polyarticular course, minimally active disease was acceptable. In adjusted analyses, they noted reduced chances of success with each additional active joint for NSAID and for methotrexate combinations. Reduced chances of success with methotrexate combinations were also observed for each additional year after disease onset. Findings demonstrate the efficacy of conventional non-biologic treatment strategies recommended in current guidelines in accomplishing treatment targets in many children with JIA.