A cross sectional study on juvenile idiopathic arthritis in paediatric population.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of common subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis among paediatric population. METHODS The cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, from January to June, 2010, and comprised children below 16 years of age with arthritis in one or more joints for at least 6 weeks. Physical examination was done and detailed history was recorded. When >5 joints of the body were involved, it was considered polyarthritis. If <4 joints were involved, it was pauciarticular arthritis. RESULTS Of the 95 cases in the study, 52(54.7%) were girls and 43(45.3%) were boys, with an overall mean age of 11±1.2 years. Polyarticular arthritis was found in 51(53.7%) subjects and pauciarticular arthritis in 44(46.3%). Out of 43 boys, 27(62.8%) had pauciarticular, while 35(67.3%) of the 52 girls had polyarticular arthritis. CONCLUSIONS Polyarticular arthritis was the most common sub-type. Proportion of polyarticular arthritis was high in female children, while pauciarticular arthritis was high in male children.