[Diagnosis of active inflammatory process in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis]

Assessment of the laboratory parameters of the activity of an inflammatory process (red cell sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, sialic acids, seromucoid, protein fractions) and the parameters of the hemostasis system in 128 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) showed that the traditional laboratory parameters are not sufficiently sensitive in JRA, and the absence of positive responses is not a reliable criterion for discontinuing antiinflammatory therapy. The following hemostasis system tests are proposed for detecting and assessing the activity of inflammation in JRA patients: Hageman-dependent fibrinolysis (HDF), level of Willebrand's factor in the blood (WF), and leukocyte-platelet aggregation. The tests are highly sensitive to low-active and latent inflammatory processes in JRA and are nonspecific. In addition, HDF and WF permit the detection of proliferative inflammation.