Clinical and Serological Findings in Juvenile Patients with Idiopathic Arthritis in Southwestern of Iran

The purpose of this study was to describe clinical features and serological findings of children with idiopathic arthritis in south-western Iran. This descriptive study included 60 patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who were referred to a pediatric rheumatology clinic at a university hospital during 6-month period. Initial manifestations, first laboratory tests and clinical course of patients were reviewed. Sixty children (32 boys and 28 girls) with idiopathic arthritis ranged in age from 1.5 to 16 years. The mean age at the first presentation was 4.92 years (SD= 3.68). Oligoarthritis was the most common subtype in 27 (45%), followed by systemic- onset in 17 (28.3%) and polyarthritis in 16 (26.7%) of patients. The most commonly involved joints were knee 53(88.3%), ankle 28(46.6%) and wrist 27(45%). Uveitis was detected in two patients, and positivity for ANA titer was revealed in one patient. In this study, the pattern of most clinical features in different subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis resembles to other studies. Positive ANA was less; however, the low numbers of Iranian patients with uveitis was noteworthy.