Age at menarche in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect on the timing of menarche of the different subtypes of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JCA) and their therapies.


METHODS
Auxological data (including the age at menarche of themselves and their mothers) were collected from 83 females regularly attending our rheumatological unit. Malnourished patients were excluded from the study. The patients were divided into groups on the basis of disease subtype and glucocorticoid (GC) therapy.


RESULTS
The timing of menarche was later in all the patients in comparison with their mothers and normal Italian girls, and those who had taken GC had a later menarche and less pubertal growth than those who had not. The girls with systemic JCA had a later menarche than those with the polyarticular or pauciarticular subtypes.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that pubertal development is compromised in girls with JCA, particularly if they have received GC therapy.
Unit of Endocrinology, University of Milan, Italy. dnakr@tin.it
Roberto
R
Rusconi
Fabrizia
F
Corona
Angela
A
Grassi
Vittorio
V
Carnelli
D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001827:Body Height; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche
D005938:Glucocorticoids