Pattern of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in a teaching hospital in Kuwait

ABSTRACT

Reports on juvenile rheumatoid arthritis [JRA] from developing countries are scarce due to lack of comprehensive epidemiologic surveys. We report our experience with this disease in Kuwait. This study involves 47 children diagnosed with JRA over a period of 3 years. All 47 children satisfied the American College of Rheumatology criteria for the diagnosis of JRA. The results revealed a prevalence of 0.36 cases per 1,00 children at risk., a rate compatible with international figures. Pauciarticular onset, the predominant subtype, accounted for 49% while polyarticular and systemic onset type accounted for 25.5% each. Iridocyclitis was diagnosed in 3 children [6.4%] with positive antinuclear antibody. Although the prevalence of JRA and its subtypes in not different from figures reported for other regions, iridocyclitis appears to be infrequent in the population of Kuwait