title: Juvenile chronic arthritis in adult life: a study of long-term outcome in patients with juvenile chronic arthritis or adult rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: We compared the prognostic factors and outcome of 30 patients with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) extending into adult life with those of 30 patients with adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at a university adult rheumatology clinic; pairs were matched for sex and duration of disease (mean 8 years). One-third of JCA patients had seronegative polyarticular disease and another third had oligoarticular disease. In a third of the JCA patients, the clinical presentation changed during the follow-up. Over half of the RA patients had seropositive polyarticular and a one-third had seronegative polyarticular disease. Fewer seropositive patients were recorded in the JCA group than in the RA group both at the beginning (16.7% versus 56.7%; p=0.003) and at the end of the follow-up (14.3% versus 59.3%; p=0.001). JCA patients developed less radiographic changes than RA patients (46.7% versus 76.7%; p=0.034); oligoarthritis in the JCA group had the best prognosis whereas seropositive polyarthritis in the RA group had the worst prognosis. Significantly more patients with JCA than RA (60% versus 23%; p=0.009) were in remission at the end of the follow-up. In conclusion, when studied in adult life, the long-term prognosis is better in patients with JCA than in those with RA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koivuniemi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leirisalo-Repo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007596:Joints; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011859:Radiography; D012074:Remission Induction; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids