CONTRIBUTION IN THE CLINICAL AND LABORATORY STUDY OF JUVENILE CHRONIC ARTHRITIS(JCA) ESPECIALLY OF MONOARTHRITIS (M-JCA) IN CHILDREN

SEVENTY-SEVEN CHILDREN WITH MONOARTICULAL AND PAUCIARTICULAL JCA (M-JCA, P-JCA) WERE FOLLOWED UP FOR AT LEAST FIVE YEARS. THE M-JCA GROUP CONSISTED OF 30 PATIENTS (11M-19F) AND THE P-JCA GROUP OF 47 (24M-23F). IN ALL PATIENTS THE TYPE OF THE DISEASE ONSET HAD NOT CHANGED FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. IN MOST OF THECHILDREN WITH M-JCA (67%) THE DISEASE REMAINED MONOARTICULAR. IT PROGRESSED TO POLYARTHRITIS IN 11/47 PATIENTS WITH P-JCA BUT IN NONE OF THE PATIENTS WITHM-JCA (P<0.01). RADIOLOGICAL CHANGES OF PROGRESSIVE ARTHROPATHY DEVELOPED INA SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PROPORTION OF PATIENTS WITH P-JCA THAN M-JCA (P