Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis among Arab Children

Abstract

Clinical and epidemiological research of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) has been facilitated by the use of the American Rheumatism Association (ARA) Criteria (1, 2), and the various modifications in Europe (3, 4). Recently, the course of the disease was shown to be as important for the long-term prognosis as is the onset type (4, 5). Reports on JRA from developing countries are scarce. We herein report our experience with the disease over a 10-year period in Kuwait, a small Arab country, where Arab expatriates constitute 50% of the populatation.