TY - JOUR T1 - Aerobic fitness in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a systematic review. JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 2643 LP - 2647 VL - 29 IS - 12 AU - Tim Takken AU - Arlette Hemel AU - Janjaap van der Net AU - Paul J M Helders Y1 - 2002/12/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/29/12/2643.abstract N2 - OBJECTIVE: To determine whether children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have lower physical fitness compared to healthy children, and to determine the clinical relevance of this impairment. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and SPORTDiscus. The appropriate titles were identified and the data were extracted from these publications. The maximal oxygen consumption (VO2peak; in ml.kg-1.min-1) during a maximal exercise test until volitional exhaustion was used as the main outcome for this review. RESULTS: Nine studies were identified in the literature. Data from 5 studies (144 patients) were pooled in a metaanalysis. The VO2peak of the patients with JIA was 21.8% (95% CI 13.7, 29.9) lower than that of healthy children (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The results of the metaanalysis suggest that children with JIA have moderate to heavy impairment in physical fitness as represented by maximal oxygen consumption compared to healthy children. ER -