Journal article

CLARITY - ChiLdhood Arthritis Risk factor Identification sTudY

JA Ellis, AL Ponsonby, A Pezic, RA Chavez, RC Allen, JD Akikusa, JE Munro

Pediatric Rheumatology | Published : 2012

Abstract

Background: The aetiology of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is largely unknown. We have established a JIA biobank in Melbourne, Australia called CLARITY - ChiLdhood Arthritis Risk factor Identification sTudY, with the broad aim of identifying genomic and environmental disease risk factors. We present here study protocols, and a comparison of socio-demographic, pregnancy, birth and early life characteristics of cases and controls collected over the first 3 years of the study.Methods: Cases are children aged ≤18 years with a diagnosis of JIA by 16 years. Controls are healthy children aged ≤18 years, born in the state of Victoria, undergoing a minor elective surgical procedure. Participant..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Funding Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank the families who kindly participated in this study. We thank Betty Lim and Sarah Macnee for their involvement in the initiation of the study and recruitment of participants, Amanda Hawker and William Siero for assistance with control recruitment and data entry, and Susan Matthyz-Rosa for assistance with data entry. We acknowledge support from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Arthritis Australia, Rebecca L Cooper Foundation, LEW Carty Charitable Fund, ANZ Medical Research and Technologies in Victoria Fund, Equity Trustees Lynne Quayle Charitable Trust Fund, The Australian Academy of Science, and The Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Support Program. JE was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Capacity Building Grant in Population Health, and an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship.