Background/Purpose: : Health outcomes in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) have been a very active area of research in the past several years. Altogether, the available data indicate that a considerable number of patients with JIA enters adulthood with persistently active disease and a significant proportion of them may develop severe physical disability. In general children with polyarticular course are more likely to have erosive radiological damage on follow-up. The comparison of earlier studies with those published in the last decade shows a decline in the frequency of patients with severe physical disability over the years; however, patients who enter adulthood with active disease do not seem to be diminished. The purpose of this study is to evaluate in patients with JIA in adulthood the functional and anatomic damage and the quality of life.

Methods: All consecutive JIA patients aged >18 yrs, afferent to three different paediatric rheumatology centres in the last year, were assessed with: HAQ; SF36; active joint count; VAS (0-100 mm) for pain, patient and physician global health assessment; radiological evaluation (Steinbrocker classification).

Results: 347 patients with JIA in adulthood, age >18 yrs, were enrolled. The collected data are shown in the following table

Conclusion: this hospital-based study clearly shows a selection bias toward the most serious cases, but underlines the high rate of JIA patients with disease still active in adulthood, confirming the need of a more aggressive and precocious treatment, to improve outcome in the future.