Juvenile idiopathic arthritis in adulthood: fulfilment of classification criteria for adult rheumatic diseases, long-term outcomes and predictors of inactive disease, functional status and damage

Filipa Oliveira-Ramos; Mónica Eusébio; Fernando M Martins; Ana Filipa Mourão; Carolina Furtado; Raquel Campanilho-Marques; Inês Cordeiro; Joana Ferreira; Marcos Cerqueira; Ricardo Figueira; Iva Brito; Helena Canhão; Maria José Santos; José A Melo-Gomes; João Eurico Fonseca

doi:10.1136/rmdopen-2016-000304

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis in adulthood: fulfilment of classification criteria for adult rheumatic diseases, long-term outcomes and predictors of inactive disease, functional status and damage

RMD Open. 2016 Sep 22;2(2):e000304. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2016-000304. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Rheumatology Department, Santa Maria Hospital-CHLN, Lisbon Academic Medical Center, Lisbon, Portugal; Rheumatology Research Unit, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
² Portuguese Society of Rheumatology , Lisbon , Portugal.
³ Rheumatology Research Unit, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; Rheumatology Department, Hospital Egas Moniz, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Ocidental, Lisbon, Portugal.
⁴ Rheumatology Department , Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo , Ponta Delgada , Portugal.
⁵ Rheumatology Department , Hospital Garcia de Orta , Almada , Portugal.
⁶ Rheumatology Department , Centro Universitário Hospitalar de Coimbra , Coimbra , Portugal.
⁷ Rheumatology Department , ULSAM-Hospital Conde de Bertiandos , Ponte de Lima , Portugal.
⁸ Rheumatology Department , Hospital Dr Nélio Mendonça , Funchal , Portugal.
⁹ Rheumatology Department , Hospital de São João and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto , Porto , Portugal.
¹⁰ Rheumatology Research Unit, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal; Rheumatology Department, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal.
¹¹ Instituto Português de Reumatologia , Lisbon , Portugal.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine how adult juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients fulfil classification criteria for adult rheumatic diseases, evaluate their outcomes and determine clinical predictors of inactive disease, functional status and damage.

Methods: Patients with JIA registered on the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt) older than 18 years and with more than 5 years of disease duration were included. Data regarding sociodemographic features, fulfilment of adult classification criteria, Health Assessment Questionnaire, Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index-articular (JADI-A) and Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index-extra-articular (JADI-E) damage index and disease activity were analysed.

Results: 426 patients were included. Most of patients with systemic JIA fulfilled criteria for Adult Still's disease. 95.6% of the patients with rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive polyarthritis and 57.1% of the patients with RF-negative polyarthritis matched criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). 38.9% of the patients with extended oligoarthritis were classified as RA while 34.8% of the patients with persistent oligoarthritis were classified as spondyloarthritis. Patients with enthesitis-related arthritis fulfilled criteria for spondyloarthritis in 94.7%. Patients with psoriatic arthritis maintained this classification. Patients with inactive disease had lower disease duration, lower diagnosis delay and corticosteroids exposure. Longer disease duration was associated with higher HAQ, JADI-A and JADI-E. Higher JADI-A was also associated with biological treatment and retirement due to JIA disability and higher JADI-E with corticosteroids exposure. Younger age at disease onset was predictive of higher HAQ, JADI-A and JADI-E and decreased the chance of inactive disease.

Conclusions: Most of the included patients fulfilled classification criteria for adult rheumatic diseases, maintain active disease and have functional impairment. Younger age at disease onset was predictive of higher disability and decreased the chance of inactive disease.

Keywords: Disease Activity; Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis; Outcomes research.