Arthritis in childhood: a report on 65 consecutive cases observed at the University Hospital of the West Indies

ABSTRACT

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 percent) had juvenile chronic arthritis, ten (15 percent) rheumatic fever, eight (12 percent) systemic lupus erythematosus and thirteen (20 percent) had self-limiting arthritis. Systemic onset of juvenile chronic arthritis occurred only in one child; nine children has 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 favourable except in a few cases of juvenile chronic arthritis (AU)