Aspirin in the treatment of juvenile arthritis.

Aspirin can be more closely controlled than other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs because serum salicylate levels can be measured. Dosages of 80 to 100 mg/kg per day usually lead to the desired serum salicylate levels of 20 to 25 mg/dl. Gastric irritation, the most frequent cause for cessation of aspirin therapy, is significantly reduced by the use of enteric-coated aspirin. At the onset of aspirin therapy in children, there is frequently moderate elevation of SGOT and SGPT liver enzyme levels. With continued treatment these levels usually fall into the range of mild elevations. Although these children with arthritis often take high doses of aspirin for years, Reye's syndrome is virtually never seen.