Improve Outcomes for Children with Rheumatic Diseases

The Arthritis Foundation partners with the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) to find the causes of pediatric rheumatic diseases, develop the most effective therapies to treat those affected and ultimately find a cure.

“CARRA and the Arthritis Foundation have worked together for more than a decade to improve treatment and outcomes for children living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and other childhood rheumatic diseases,” said Ann Palmer, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation. “This collaboration will ensure we are aligned on various levels to meet the needs of these children and their families.”

A key initiative of this partnership is the CARRA Registry. The Registry provides a tool that will likely help answer many important questions about these diseases, including the effectiveness and long-term safety of treatments and disease outcomes. It also will serve as the foundation for large clinical trials and other research initiatives.

Through the CARRA Registry, researchers collect information on many individual patients over time. Questions about medical and family history, how the disease affects life and physical function all contribute to a better understanding of pediatric rheumatic diseases.

The goals of the CARRA Registry are to:

• Collect information to learn from as many patients as possible
• Study the short and long-term safety of medications used to treat pediatric rheumatic diseases
• Study how treatment and other factors affect the outcomes of pediatric rheumatic diseases
• Determine the cause of pediatric rheumatic diseases
• Determine the safest and most effective treatment for individual patients

“By collecting comprehensive data, the CARRA Registry serves as a valuable resource for patients, physician-scientists and other researchers. Indeed, anyone seeking to learn more about the impact, course and outcomes of arthritis and other rheumatic diseases in children. The registry ultimately contributes to the development of better diagnostic and treatment approaches,” says Laura Schanberg, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, co-chief of pediatric rheumatology at Duke University Medical Center, CARRA president and a principal investigator for the CARRA Registry.

You and your family may help solve the mysteries of pediatric rheumatic diseases by participating in this important research. Learn more by visiting the CARRA Registry .