[Fatal course of juvenile chronic arthritis]

Case report of a young man suffering from seropositive juvenile arthritis who succumbed to the consequences of cerebral vasculitis. Postmortem generalised arteritis was found affecting mainly brain and kidneys. There were no laboratory signs of an inflammatory process during the months before his death nor hypergammaglobinaemia or decrease of complement. The generalised arteritis manifested itself solely as mononeuritis multiplex with eosinophilia. Thus even with discrete signs such as these severe vasculitis ought to be considered for appropriate treatment to be instituted.