Arthritis: Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA)

Information

Systemic arthritis is one of the several types of inflammatory arthritis known as Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Systemic JIA (SJIA) is an autoimmune condition where vital organs and not just the joints become inflamed.

It affects both boys and girls and is more common in toddlers and preschool children. SJIA is relatively rare and makes up 10% of all JIA cases.

Patients who have intermittent periods of fever and arthritis tend to have a better long-term prognosis, compared to patients where the fever subsides and arthritis persists.

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Signs and symptoms

SJIA is characterised by the presence of fever, rash and intense inflammation of various organs of the body. These symptoms can occur before the onset of arthritis or at the same time.

Recurrent high fevers and a rash that appears mainly during fever are also common. Other symptoms may include muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, pericarditis (inflammation of heart membranes) and pleuritis (inflammation of the lung membranes). Sometimes enlargement of the liver and spleen occurs.

Arthritis in several joints (usually 5 or more) may occur at onset or several weeks later.

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Treatment options

Treatments are similar to the general treatment of JIA. The overall aim of treatment is to reduce inflammation and this may require intervention on a number of levels including medication, physiotherapy and surgery.

On the JIA page, there is a list of the different medications including corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory, biological agents and those known as DMARDS, or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs used to treat SJIA.

If you are using the internet to search for information about your child’s disease, in addition to the excellent Australian resources listed, we recommend information provided by Paediatric Rheumatology InterNational Trials Organisation (PRINTO)

PRINTO is an international public network of academic and/or clinical centres engaged in the research and clinical care of children with paediatric rheumatic diseases. They collect a lot of information world-wide and so the information they provide is reliable and up-to-date.

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