Abstract
Abstract Background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a heterogeneous group of rheumatic diseases characterized by onset before the age of 16. Since the disease starts at an early age, it may lead to socio-professional difficulties in adulthood for JIA patients. This study aimed to describe the professional outcome of a series of 20 JIA patients. Methods A cross-sectional study including patients aged 20 years and more and fulfilling the ILAR criteria for the diagnosis of JIA was carried out. Telephone interviews were conducted. The responders answered questions about family status, current occupation, working h, eventual workplace adjustments, and sick leave frequency. Results Twenty patients answered the questionary; 14 males and 6 females. The mean age of the disease onset was 8 years. The mean age of patients at the time of the study was 24.27 years [20–36]. Polyarticular form was the most frequent (10 cases). Other subtypes diagnosed were systemic (4 cases), enthesitis-related arthritis (5 cases), oligoarticular (one case). Hip arthritis was observed in 8 patients and surgical intervention was needed in three. Eight patients were treated with csDMARDSs and 12 with bDMARDs. Three of our patients were married (aged 24, 34, and 36). Five were still studying: 4 had good grades without absenteeism. However, one patient needed special aid to go to school and had a higher absence rate. Five other patients were full-time college students without absenteeism. Four patients were college graduates. Among them, two were searching for a job for >6 months. The other two were full-time administrative workers with no absenteeism. One patient did need workplace adjustments. Six patients could not work because of their physical disabilities. Conclusion According to our results, a quarter of our patients could not access professional life. Disease activity and hip destruction are the two main factors causing JIA patients to miss out on important personal and professional opportunities.
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