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

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe clinical features and serological findings of children with idiopathic arthritis in south-western Iran.Methods: 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.Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.