Table 1

Characteristics of the 426 study patients

VariablesNo. (%)/ Mean±SD
Female288 (67.6%)
Male138 (32.3%)
JIA ILAR category
 Persistent oligoarthritis79 (18.5%)
 Extended oligoarthritis61 (14.3%)
 RF-positive polyarthritis71 (16.7%)
 RF-negative polyarthritis75 (17.6%)
 Systemic41 (9.6%)
 Enthesitis-related arthritis80 (18.8%)
 Psoriatic arthritis13 (3.1%)
 Undifferentiated arthritis6 (1.4%)
Age at disease onset (years) (n=423)9.9±4.8
Age at diagnosis (years) (n=399)14.4±9.9
Age at the time of last registered visit (years)34.1±12.8
Disease duration (years) (n=423)22.5±12.4
ANA+ (n=244)75 (30.7%)
RF + (n=320)88 (27.5%)
ACPA + (n=121)37 (30.8%)
HLA B27 + (n=189)75 (30.7%)
Years of education (n=234)11.6±3.7
Current professional situation (n=234)
 Employed168 (71.8%)
 Unemployed24 (10.3%)
 Retired11 (4.7%)
 Retired due to JIA disability31 (13.2%)
Disease activity (n=300)
 Active disease201 (67%)
 Inactive disease99 (33%)
HAQ Score (n=426)0.5±0.7
JADI-A Score (n=140)7.7±14.5
JADI-E Score (n=111)0.8±1.6
Past treatment
 Patients who had received corticosteroids (n=399)80 (20%)
 Patients who had received synthetic DMARDs (n=399)84 (21%)
 Patients who had received biological DMARDs (n=399)31 (7.8%)
Current treatment
 Patients who were on corticosteroids (n=399)103 (25.8%)
 Patients who were on synthetic DMARDs (n=399)245 (61.4%)
 Patients who were on biological DMARDs (n=399)140 (35.1%)
Cumulative corticosteroid exposure (years) (n=175)8.3±8.9
Cumulative synthetic DMARDs exposure (years) (n=326)10.6±9.5
Cumulative biological DMARDs exposure (years) (n=173)6.1±3.7
  • ACPA, anticitrullinated protein antibodies; ANAs, antinuclear antibodies; DMARDs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; HAQ, Health Assessment Questionnaire; ILAR, International League of Associations for Rheumatology; JADI-A, Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index—articular; JADI-E, Juvenile Arthritis Damage Index—extra-articular; JIA, juvenile idiopathic arthritis; RF, rheumatoid factor.