Patterns of height growth in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

What is it about?

This study aimed to investigate early height patterns in a cohort of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) from the UK, and to look at what factors might be associated with poor growth. This analysis used data from the Childhood Arthritis Prospective Study (CAPS), looking at change in height patients over a 3 year period. 568 patients were included. At baseline patients were average height for their age and gender. However, after 3 years, the patients were shorter than what they should have been for their age and gender, with 39% defined has having restricted growth.

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Why is it important?

Although overall height at 3 years after initial presentation to rheumatology is within the population norm, as a cohort, children with JIA experience a reduction of growth in height over the first 3 years of disease. Late presentation to paediatric rheumatology services is associated with lower height at presentation. However, patients with the lowest height z scores at presentation were also the most likely to see an improvement at 3 years. The impact of JIA on growth patterns is important to children and families and this study provides useful new data to support informed clinical care.

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