Monoarticular Arthritis in Children

Abstract

There were 33 of 316 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis with monoarticular involvement for at least 3 months. Nineteen developed further joint involvement under observation, this occurred in 15 within a year from the involvement of the first joint. Fourteen remained with 1 single joint involved for a followup period of from 3-14 years, and the disease was inactive at followup in 11. Iritis was seen in 6 of 33, sacro-iliac change without spinal involvement in 3 of 32 and the Waaler-Rose test was positive in only 1. Synovial membrane biopsies from affected joints in 30 cases showed no correlation between the histology and the subsequent course.