Juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

摘要

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a broad term used to describe several different forms of chronic arthritis in children. All forms are characterized by joint pain and inflammation. The older term, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, has been replaced by JIA to distinguish childhood arthritis from adult-onset rheumatoid arthritis and to emphasize the fact that arthritis in childhood is a distinct disease. JIA also includes more subtypes of arthritis than did juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.JIA is the most common rheumatologic disease in children and is one of the more frequent chronic diseases of childhood. The etiology is not completely understood but is known to be multifactorial, with both genetic and environmental factors playing key roles. Without appropriate and early aggressive treatment, JIA may result in significant morbidity, such as leg-length discrepancy, joint contractures, permanent joint destruction, or blindness from chronic uveitis.