Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in an 11 year old boy: a case report

Abstract

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is the most
common rheumatic condition in children
and a major cause of chronic disability. 1 JRA
is defined as persistent arthritis in one or
o e joints for at least six weeks, when certain
exclusionary conditions have been eliminated.2·3
The three major subtypes of JRA are based on
the symptoms at disease onset and are designated
as systemic onset, pauciarticular onset, and
polyarticular onset.2 Systemic onset juvenile
rheumatoid arthritis (SoJRA) represents about
10-20% of all forms of JRA.4
The incidence of ]RA is approximately 13.9/
100,000 per year among children 15 years old or
younger.1 In Finland, the incidence was 19.5/100,000
of the population under 16 years of age. The incidence
was significantly higher than in earlier years (1980,
1985, and 1990) in the same district.5 Different racial
and ethnic groups appear to have varying frequencies
of the subtype of JRA.1
The treatment of JRA is achieved using
combinations of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory
medications in combination with
physical and occupational therapy, occasional
surgery, nutritional support, and psychosocial and
educational partnerships with patients and parents.3,6
It is widely thought that a comprehensive team
approach is associated with a superior outcome. 7
This paper reports a case of systemic JRA in an 11-
year old boy.