Text Box: CEREBRAL COMPLICATIONS IN JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Wu FQ, He XH, Han TX
Beijing Children¡¯s Hospital, Beijing, China

Objective: To study the characteristics and prognosis of central nervous system (CNS) complications in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).
Methods: We reviewed 16 children with CNS complications among 356 patients with JRA from 1992 to 1998 and followed up these patients.
Results: In 4.5% of the patients with JRA were found CNS complications.  All of the 16 children are systemic JRA. Twelve of the16 cases (75%) had cerebral complications one year after the onset of JRA. The most common  manifestations observed were headache, seizures, drowsiness and coma.  Eleven cases were under follow-up. None of 11 children had residua CNS abnormalities.
Conclusion: Cerebral involvement is a serious complication of JRA with broad diversity in clinical manifestations.  Differential diagnosis is needed.   Cerebral complications in JRA may have a favourable prognosis if treated timely and regularly.
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