Prevalence of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in schoolchildren from the city of São Paulo, the largest city in Latin America

Abstract

Background: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects children and adolescents. Its prevalence varies greatly from one study to another according to the population and methodology. Some tools may be helpful in screening for suspected cases. The aim of this study is determine the prevalence of JIA in children and adolescent students in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2016 to November 2017. It was based on a populational study envolving school children and adolescents from São Paulo, the largest city of Brazil. We randomly selected students under 16 years old from private schools with more than 1000 students who were evaluated through a specific questionnaire for screening suspected cases of chronic arthropathy (Early Diagnosis of Chronic Arthritis-12 items-EDA-12) and subsequent anamnesis and rheumatologic physical examination for diagnostic confirmation. Results: We contacted all 79 schools in the universe, of which 12(15, 18%) agreed to participate in the study. A total of 21,119 questionnaires were handed out to the parents. We obtained a response of 5,710 (27%). In 108 cases the EDA-12 score was considered positive (≥ 5). We examined all these 108 "suspicious" children. In 10 cases, the rheumatologic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of arthritis, since the subjects presented a history and physical examination compatible with JIA. The prevalence of JIA in children and adolescents was 0.196% (95% CI = 0.104-0.371%). Conclusion: In this first Brazilian population study to evaluate the prevalence of JIA, we observed that the disease is relatively prevalent in our country (196 / 100.000 children), which is similar to that observed in other studies involving children from urban centers.

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“…The global prevalence of JIA shows considerable variation and while our hospital based data likely underestimate the true population prevalence [ 24 , 25 ], the 2012 point-prevalence is at the higher end of prevalence estimates reported from other hospital-based studies [ 12 , 26 ]. However, it remains well below the estimated prevalence reported from a previous cross-sectional Australian study of 12 year-old metropolitan students where approximately 4/1000 were found to have JIA [ 25 ], while similar studies from Belgium (in children aged 12–18 years) and a recent study from Brazil (children aged 1–16 years) found community-based prevalence estimates of 1.7 and 2 per 1000 children, respectively [ 27 , 28 ]. Together these data illustrate that there is a number of patients with JIA that have milder and/or spontaneously remitting JIA, that will not be captured in hospital-based data [ 29 ].…”

Does the use of panoramic radiography add information in the temporomandibular joint evaluation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients? A case control study

“…JIA is characterized by chronic synovitis and extra-articular manifestations and is diagnosed according to the criteria established by the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) [1]. JIA prevalence in the city of Sao Paulo (Brazil) is 1.96 of 1000 schoolchildren from 1 to 16 years old [2].…”

Diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis with asymptomatic involvement of the temporomandibular joint: A case report

“…The prevalence of JIA differs according to the classification used and methodological issues, among other factors, ranging from 3.8 to 400 cases per 100,000 3 . In Brazil, the disease has a prevalence of 196 per 100,000 children 4 …”