Magnitude and Clinical Profile of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in a Medical College Hospital of a Socio-economically Disadvantaged Country

Background: A number of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) got admitted in the pediatrics ward of a medical college hospital. However, burden and clinical pattern of JIA have not been studied in our country. Objectives: To estimate the burden of JIA admitted in the pediatric department of medical college hospital of Bangladesh and to observe the status of active JIA in respect to magnitude, clinical profile and hematological changes. Methods: A prospective study was carried out among the patients admitted in pediatric ward of a medical college hospital, Bangladesh from 2008 to 2010. All active JIA patients admitted during this period were included in this study. JIA was diagnosed according to the ILAR criteria. Male/Female ratio, age, Total Leukocyte Count (TLC), Differential count (D/C), Platelet count, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), C Reactive Protein (CRP), Rheumatoid Factor (RF) of JIA patients were recorded. These were statistically analyzed with the help of SPSS programme using chi-square test. Results: Twenty five cases of active JIA were diagnosed during this period. Magnitude was 3.75 per 1000 admitted cases. Male/Female ratio was 1.08:1. 10 (40%) cases were between the ages of 8 to 11 years. Polyarticular seronegative JIA was found in 10 (40%) cases and oligoarticular JIA in the next order 6 (24%). High ESR, TLC, platelet count was observed in 21 (84%) [p <.001], 19 (76%) [p <.009], 3 (12%) [p <.000] cases respectively. Conclusion: Burden of JIA was similar to all the areas of the world. Polyarticular seronegative JIA was commonly observed in our study. High ESR, increased TLC and Platelet count was the reliable predictor of active JIA.