Abstract
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is defined by the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) as arthritis of unknown aetiology beginning before the sixteenth birthday and persisting for at least six weeks with other known conditions excluded1. JIA is one of the common chronic diseases of childhood with a prevalence of approximately 1 in 1000 in the West2. JIA often persists into adulthood and can result in significant long-term morbidity, including physical disability3. Recent major advances in treatment have greatly improved short and medium term outcome for children with JIA4. In this article I will discuss classification, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis and recommended treatment of JIA. Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health , 2015; 44 (2): 103-106
Highlights
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is defined by the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) as arthritis of unknown aetiology beginning before the sixteenth birthday and persisting for at least six weeks with other known conditions excluded[1]
Depending on the number of joints involved within the first six months of presentation JIA is divided into oligoarthritis or polyarthritis[1]
The onset is less than 6 years, females are affected more than males, ANA is positive and there is a high risk of uveitis[8]
Summary
This group includes patients with ILAR categories of persistent oligoarthritis, enthesitis-related arthritis and undifferentiated arthritis who have developed active arthritis in only 4 or fewer joints in total throughout the history of their disease course. Patients with systemic arthritis and active sacro-iliac arthritis are considered in separate treatment groups
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