To determine whether children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have lower physical fitness compared to healthy children, and to determine the clinical relevance of this impairment.
A systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and SPORTDiscus. The appropriate titles were identified and the data were extracted from these publications. The maximal oxygen consumption (VO2peak; in ml.kg-1.min-1) during a maximal exercise test until volitional exhaustion was used as the main outcome for this review.
Nine studies were identified in the literature. Data from 5 studies (144 patients) were pooled in a metaanalysis. The VO2peak of the patients with JIA was 21.8% (95% CI 13.7, 29.9) lower than that of healthy children (p < 0.0001).
The results of the metaanalysis suggest that children with JIA have moderate to heavy impairment in physical fitness as represented by maximal oxygen consumption compared to healthy children.