Recently, it has been hypothesized that the subcategories of the ILAR classification of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are not homogeneous, and that the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) should lead to a separate entity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate ANA positivity as a predictor of achieving remission. A retrospective single-center cohort study including all JIA patients diagnosed between January 2000 and May 2014. A minimum follow-up of 1 year was required plus the ANA status. ANA positivity was defined as at least two positive results with a titer ≥1:160. Demographic and clinical features were collected. Remission at last follow-up was defined by the Wallace criteria. A total of 625 patients met the inclusion criteria and 230 (37%) were found ANA positive. Analysis showed no difference in remission rate between ANA-positive and ANA-negative patients. Additionally, joint count at diagnosis and at last follow-up were comparable in both groups. ANA positivity was correlated to a female predominance and young age at diagnosis (p < 0.001). Remission rates are not different in ANA-positive patients than in ANA-negative patients. This does not support the hypothesis to possibly divide JIA patients based on their ANA status.
Keywords: Antinuclear antibodies; Juvenile idiopathic arthritis; Remission.