Radiological picture of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Basing on the results of radiological, clinical and laboratory examinations of 200 children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, we tried to obtain a comprehensive picture of radiological changes in the joints, the spine and the remaining skeleton caused by JRA. The bulk of data was obtained in the period between 1954 and 1972, but for some of the patients, our follow-up continued until 1987. Our main interest were differences in morphological changes caused by JRA and adult RA. We described initial changes and their progress in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, drawing attention to fundamental differences in radiological changes and their progress in patients with an onset of disease in the first half of childhood (up to the age of 8) and in those with an onset in the second half of childhood, where these changes were similar already to those caused by adult RA. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects mainly skeletal growth by either retarding or accelerating various ossification processes. The skeleton of children has a great regenerative capacity, but this, on the other hand, supports various disturbances of growth brought forth by disease. This, apparently, account for differences of changes in the skeleton of the joints observed in JRA patients during childhood and adulthood. Whenever a case is suspected of JRA, a radiological examination of the joints involved ought to be complemented by a radiological examination of the hands because most of our radiographs showed structural changes in the hands. Particular attention should also be given to the knees and hips of children with active disease over a period of 3-6 years. Synostosis of arches and joints of the cervical spine, a typical feature of JRA, was observed in 20-25% of former JRA patients. Synostoses occurred either in the individual segments or in the whole cervical spine, but were never absent at the level of vertebral bodies C2-C3. There were neither objective nor subjective complaints.