To study the clinical and immunological profile of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).
Retrospective hospital based study.
Tertiary level center of North India.
74 patients attending the Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology Clinic over last 5 years.
The patients were aged between 9 months to 12 years with male female ratio of 1.8:1. Eleven (14.9%) patients had systemic onset JRA, 28 (37.8%) had polyarticular onset type and 35(47.3%) had pauciarticular onset type JRA. Uveitis was present only in one patient and rheumatoid nodules were present in 4(5.4%) patients. Rheumatoid factor was positive in 2(2.7%) and antinuclear antibody was present in one patient only. HLA-B27 was positive in 4 children. Two patients developed amyloidosis.
The clinico-immunological profile of JRA at Chandigarh appears to be some what different from that reported from other centers in India.