Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), also known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, is the most common chronic arthritic disease of childhood. Diagnosing this condition and ruling out other differential diagnoses is difficult for clinicians. This article delineates the details of diagnostic modalities for JIA. Clinical presentation Oligoarticular or polyarticular arthritis of six weeks or longer must be present to diagnose JIA.
Patients may present with an acute onset of symptoms or a more gradual onset. Symptoms are often worse in the morning but typically persist to some extent throughout the day. In patients with systemic-onset (also known as Still disease), intermittent spiking fevers are typically noted, which helps distinguish JIA from other conditions such as infection, other inflammatory diseases, and malignancy. In addition, migratory salmon-colored light pink rash involving the…
