title: Comparison of clinical and laboratory variables in familial versus sporadic systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare patients with familial versus sporadic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with respect to clinical and laboratory variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  The familial JIA group comprised 11 affected siblings belonging to 4 families, while the comparative group comprised 22 patients selected by systematic sampling from JIA patients presenting to our pediatric rheumatology clinic; the first patient was chosen randomly and the subsequent patients chosen at intervals of 3. The 2 groups were compared with respect to demographic information, age at onset of disease, disease activity, disease damage, and laboratory variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 2 groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, and onset type of disease. All patients from the familial group were from a southern province of Saudi Arabia (p = 0.001). The familial group had an earlier age at onset of disease (p = 0.039), the mean number of actively inflamed joints was higher (p = 0.009), and functional capacity as measured by Childhood HAQ was worse (p = 0.048), compared with the sporadic group. Other variables showed no significant differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The comparison of patients with familial versus sporadic JIA revealed a significant difference in origin of patients and age at onset of disease. These differences may be helpful in identifying the predisposing genes in familial patients with JIA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. mayouf@kfshrc.edu.sa
authors.forename: Sulaiman M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Al-Mayouf
authors.forename: Sana M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Madi
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: AlMane
authors.forename: Suliman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al Jummah
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003710:Demography; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index