Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis


Reports from University of Lausanne highlight recent research in arthritis



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This article was published in Pain & Central Nervous System Week, which you can subscribe to online.
2007 OCT 15 -- Investigators publish new data in the report 'Shoulder arthroplasty for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.' According to a study from Lausanne, Switzerland, "Between 1986 and 1997, 13 shoulders in adult patients who had severe polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis were treated with primary arthroplasty. Eleven shoulders were evaluated retrospectively by an independent observer with a mean follow-up of 9 years."

"Patient evaluation included pain Visual Analogue Scale, range of motion, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score, and Short-Form 36. Patients' pain decreased significantly after surgery (mean 6.7). Forward elevation improved on average by 41.1 degrees and external rotation by 39.1 degrees , without evidence of shoulder instability. Final Short-Form 36 scores and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand results (mean, 44.7) were poor, but all patients rated themselves satisfied with the procedure. Shoulder arthroplasty provided pain relief for end-stage shoulder involvement in adult juvenile idiopathic arthritis," wrote B.M. Jolles and colleagues, University of Lausanne.

The researchers concluded: "Improvement in external rotation in this severely affected group appears to have a beneficial effect on functional outcome."

Jolles and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Arthroplasty (Shoulder arthroplasty for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Journal of Arthroplasty, 2007;22(6):876-83).

For more information, contact B.M. Jolles, University of Lausanne, Hopital Orthopedique de la Suisse Romande, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Publisher contact information for the Journal of Arthroplasty is: Churchill Livingstone Inc. Medical Publishers, Curtis Center, Independence Square West, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3399, USA.

Keywords: Switzerland, Lausanne, Arthritis, Arthroplasty, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.

This article was prepared by Pain & Central Nervous System Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Pain & Central Nervous System Week via NewsRx.com.