Abstract
Background: Although JIA is the most common childhood rheumatic disease in the western world; its prevalence differs according to genetic factors and ethnicity. The current prevalence among Arab children as well as in Libya still needs further research. The purpose of the present paper was to identify the pattern and laboratory features of JIA in Libyan children. Methods: All children diagnosed with JIA between January 2009 and January 2020 were included in the study. Results: There were 66 girls and 24 boys with a mean duration of disease of 4.1 years. With a mean age of 11.9 (SD=4.3) years old. The mean age at disease onset was 5.9 (SD=3.4) years old, and that for diagnosis was 7.0 (SD=3.8) years old. Polyarticular JIA was the most frequent type (38.9%) other subtypes included oligoarthritis (31.1%), systemic arthritis (21.1%), psoriatic arthritis (6.7%), enthesitis-related arthritis (2.2%) respectively. The majority of polyarthritis were RF negative (94.0%), and the persistent type constituted 61.7% of all oligoarthritis cases. Out of 87 valid cases, 78 (89.7%) were ANA negative, and of 83 cases, 78 (94.0%) were RF negative. Conclusion: The most common type of JIA was polyarticular JIA, higher prevalence among girls. Further studies are required to defining the characteristics of JIA.