RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Health status of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at 1 and 5 years after diagnosis. JF The Journal of Rheumatology JO J Rheumatol FD The Journal of Rheumatology SP 394 OP 400 VO 30 IS 2 A1 Suzanne L Bowyer A1 Philip A Roettcher A1 Gloria C Higgins A1 Barbara Adams A1 Linda K Myers A1 Carol Wallace A1 Robert Rennebohm A1 Terry L Moore A1 Peri H Pepmueller A1 Charles Spencer A1 Linda Wagner-Weiner A1 Egla Rabinovich A1 Murray Passo A1 Daniel J Lovell A1 Deborah McCurdy A1 Lawrence Zemel A1 Kenneth N Schikler A1 Ilona Szer A1 Paul Kurtin A1 Carol Lindsley YR 2003 UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/30/2/394.abstract AB OBJECTIVE: To describe the health and functional status of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) diagnosed in the early 1990s. METHODS: Patients were obtained from the Pediatric Rheumatology Disease Registry, a database of patients seen in pediatric rheumatology centers across the United States. Questionnaires designed to be filled out after retrospective chart review were sent to pediatric rheumatologists caring for children diagnosed with JRA between 1992 and 1997. RESULTS: We studied 703 patients -- 376 with pauciarticular onset (pauci), 232 with polyarticular onset (poly), and 95 with systemic onset JRA (systemic). At 1 year after diagnosis, half of the pauci and systemic patients no longer required medication, compared to 78% of the poly patients; 98% of the patients functioned in Steinbrocker classes I and II. Six percent of pauci, 27% of poly, and 11% of systemic patients had limitations in school function. Nearly 1/3 of poly patients already had joint space narrowing on radiograph. By 5 years after diagnosis, all pauci, 88% of poly, and 70% of systemic patients were in Steinbrocker classes I and II; but 6% of pauci, 28% of poly, and 44% of systemic patients had limitations in school function. Nearly 2/3 of poly and systemic patients had joint space narrowing. CONCLUSION: In these children treated prior to the era of biologic therapy, at 5 years after onset, > 25% of poly and nearly half of systemic patients had functional limitations that required modifications in their school schedule. Radiographically evident joint space damage was seen within a year of onset in poly patients, and by 5 years 2/3 of poly and systemic patients had damage.