Oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis: epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and outcome profile of a Tunisian cohort.
Uveitis occurred in about one-quarter of children with oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis: epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and outcome profile of a Tunisian cohort.
Oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (oJIA) is the most common subtype of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and is associated with a risk of chronic anterior uveitis and disease extension.
This study aimed to describe the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic, and outcome profile of Tunisian children with oJIA.
We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of children diagnosed with oJIA and followed at a tertiary pediatric rheumatology center in Tunisia between January 1999 and December 2022.
The mean age at disease onset was 4.4 years and the mean diagnostic delay was 9 months.
Antinuclear antibodies were positive in 71% of patients, whereas rheumatoid factor was negative in all tested cases.
Ocular complications developed in 13 of the 20 patients with uveitis, most commonly posterior synechiae and cataract.
Disease extension occurred in 18 patients (22%) and was confined to the first two years after disease onset.
In this single-center North African cohort, oJIA was characterized by early onset, frequent ANA positivity, and a substantial burden of chronic anterior uveitis.
Disease extension occurred in approximately one-fifth of patients and was limited to the first two years of disease. Most patients achieved inactive disease despite restricted access to biologic therapies.
These findings provide additional data on oJIA from North Africa and highlight the importance of systematic ophthalmologic screening and long-term monitoring.