Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: an update

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the commonest rheumatologic disease in children and is a significant cause of short- and long-term functional disability. The term JIA refers to a clinically heterogeneous group of arthritides of unknown cause, which begin before 16 years of age. It encompasses several clinical conditions with relatively distinct patterns of presentation. Although none of the currently available drugs can be said to be curative, with the advent of methotrexate in early 1990s and biological agents in late 1990s, the long-term prognosis of the condition has improved considerably. In the present review we have discussed the different classifications, clinical features of different categories of JIA and recent advances in the management.