Development of positive antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factor in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis points toward an autoimmune phenotype later in the disease course

摘要

BackgroundSystemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is commonly considered an autoinflammatory disease. However, sJIA patients may develop aggressive arthritis without systemic inflammation later in the disease, resembling an autoimmune phenotype similar to other subtypes of JIA. The objective of this study was to determine whether antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) will develop in patients with sJIA over the course of the disease.