Arthritis in childhood. A report on 65 consecutive cases observed at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
In a two-year period (October 1985 - September 1987), 65 children presented to the Child Health department and/or rheumatology clinic at the University Hospital with arthritis. Eighteen children (28%) had Juvenile Chronic Arthritis, ten (15%) rheumatic fever, eight (12%) systemic lupus erythematosus and thirteen (20%) had self-limiting arthritis. Systemic onset of Juvenile Chronic Arthritis occurred only in one child; nine children had polyarticular and eight pauci-articular onset of disease. The self-limiting arthritis was difficult to differentiate from Juvenile Chronic Arthritis; therefore serological testing for bacterial and viral infections should be performed before anti-rheumatic therapy is undertaken. Arthritis in childhood is not uncommon in Jamaica. However, the outcome appears to be generally favorable except in a few cases of Juvenile Chronic Arthritis.
Noah
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De Ceulaer
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D000293:Adolescent; D001168:Arthritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007596:Joints / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014900:West Indies