• Arthritis of unknown cause of >6 week duration in a child less than 16 years of age
  • Arthritis is defined as a joint swelling with
    • redness of joint
    • warmth
    • limitation of range of movement

Types of Arthritis

  • Oligoarthritis
    • involving four of less joints in the first 6 months of disease
    • Extended oligoarthritis - involving more than 4 joints after 6 months of disease
    • persistent oligoarthritis - involving only 4 or less joints even after 6 months of disease
  • Polyarthritis
    • involvement of five of more joints in the first 6 months of disease

ILAR Classification of JIA

[! Faq] DNB 1996, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023

  1. Classification of JRA
  2. Types of JRA / JIA
  3. Diagnostic criteria for JIA
  4. ILAR classification
typecriteria
Systemic JIA- arthritis of more than 2 weeks (documented for atleast 3 days)
- 1 or more of
- HSM
- Evanascent rash
- Lymphadenitis
- serositis
Oligo JIA- involving four of less joints in the first 6 months of disease
- Extended oligoarthritis - involving more than 4 joints after 6 months of disease
- persistent oligoarthritis - involving only 4 or less joints even after 6 months of disease
RF + poly JIA- involvement of five of more joints in the first 6 months of disease
- RF positive (2 tests 3 months apart)
RF - poly JIA- involvement of five of more joints in the first 6 months of disease
- RF negative
Psoriatic- arthritis with psoriasis
- arthritis with 2 or more of
- nail pitting
- dactylitis
- psoriasis in 1 degree relative
ERA- enthesitis with arthritis
- enthesitis or arthritis only with 2 or more of
- lumbosacral tenderness or inflammatory sacroiliac pain
- acute symptomatic anterior uveitis
- HLA b27+
- onset in male > 6 years
- history of ankylosing spondylitis, reiters, ERA in 1st degree relative
Undifferentiatedarthritis that fulfils none of more than 2 of the above

Patterns

oligo JIA

  • less than 5 year
  • female
  • no systemic features

poly JIA

  • 8-10 year
  • male

ERA

  • 8-10 year
  • male
  • back pain
  • difficulty in walking
  • ankle pain (tendonitis)
  • MRI
    • erosion
    • edema of bone marrow
  • RF and ANA - negative

systemic

  • systemic features
  • koebner's phenomenon
  • salmon colored patch

psoriatic

  • family history of dermatological problem
  • nail pitting

RF + vs RF -

RF +

  • adult like
  • symmetric
  • small joint
  • Aggressive diesase
  • failure to thrive

RF -

  • asymmetry
  • TMJ joint involvement
  • risk of uveitis

Differential Diagnosis

DNB 2004, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2023

Differential diagnosis of child with swelling for more than 6 weeks

single joint involvement

  • septic arthritis
  • TB arthritis
  • Reactive arthritis
  • Lymes
  • malignancy

multiple joint involvement

  • Connective tissue
  • reactive arthritis
  • lymes
  • IBD associated

systemic features

  • connective tissue disease
  • neoplasia
  • infection
  • autoimmune
  • IBD associated

non-inflammatory

Investigations

DNB 2011 DCH 2024

Investigation of JIA Primarily Clinical diagnosis

  • CBC - TLC and Platelets corresponds to systemic involvement, both with rise (if only one is elevated suspect malignancy), hb - low
  • ESR - usually elevated
  • CRP - elevated
  • ANA
  • LFT / KFT / SE
  • HLA B27
  • MRI - sacroiliac joint / TMJ
  • Anti CCP - to determine the severity of JIA
  • IGRA / Mantoux - before starting DMARD

radiology

  • not much helpful
  • done in
    • monoarticular
    • infectious
    • sacroiliitis
    • to access damage

Management

DNB 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018 DCH 2024

  1. Management of JIA
  2. principle of treatment of JIA

Drugs used

  1. NSAIDS
    • Naproxen
  2. DMARDs
    • Conventional
      • Methotrexate
      • Leflunomide
    • Non conventional (biologicals)
      • Anti TNF alpha
        • eternacept
        • adalimumab
      • JAK inhibitors
        • Tofacitinib
        • Ruxolitinib
  3. Corticosteroids
    • adjuvent
    • triamcinolone
    • bridge therapy
  4. Physical / occupational therapy

Principle of treatment

ERA

  • no role of Mtx in sacroiliitis
  • give sulfasalazine
  • bDMARDs
    • no uveitis - etarnacept
    • uveitis - adalimumab

oligo JIA

  • NSAIDS
  • intraarticualr steroids (IAGS) - triamcinolone
  • cDMARDs if IA steroids fail
  • bDMARDs if cDMARDs fail

poly JIA

  • NSAIDs
  • IAGSs - use cautiously - can cause hetrophic ossification
  • cDMARDs - MTx > leflunomide
  • bDMARDs - TNF alpha inhibitors
  • early aggressive management

systemic JIA

  • Anti IL1 (Anakinra), Anti IL6 (toziluzumab)
  • NSAID - short course can be tried
  • Oral steroids - pulse corticosteroids (recommended against as monotherapy)
  • cDMARDs - not recommended
  • calcineurin inhibitors and IVIG can be used in case of MAS

Periodic slitt lamp evalution for uveitis must be done in all children

drugs used in JIA

DNB 2014, 2023

Drugs used in JIA

Drugs in JIA

Neslon screenshot

TB screening for biologicals

  • Always screen latent TB before starting biologicals
  • choice of tests
    • CXR
    • IGRA
    • Montoux
  • Do CXR then proceed for montoux, IGRA
  • If both IGRA and Montoux negative - start biologicals
  • If either one is positive - start ATT (3HR), start biologicals after 1 month
  • If frank TB, start appropriate TB regime, start biologicals after 3 months