Isolated digital swelling as the initial presentation of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is an inflammatory condition that affects children under 16 yeats of age. The cases of 7 patients with isolated finger swelling as the initial manifestation of JRA are reviewed. In these children, the diagnosis was significantly delayed (t-test, p <.0076) for up to 14 months (mean, 8 months) when compared to a mean of 3.4 months in the JRA patients with a typical onset. Of the patients with the initial presentation of isolated digital swelling, 4/7 (57%) had disease that became polyarticular, whereas only 15% of the patients with the initial presentation of large-joint disease experienced progression to polyarticular disease (Fisher's exact test, p <.0307). This presentation of JRA should be recognized so that appropriate management can be instituted promptly.