Hip disease in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

In contrast to adult rheumatoid arthritis, hips are commonly affected joints in severe, destructive, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Hip disease develops in 30 to 50% of children with JRA. Because of the importance of the hip joint in weight bearing the advent of hip disease in a child with JRA warns of future disability [1, 2]. The challenges for the clinician are to prevent significant hip involvement, to halt further damage when hip disease is noted, and in the event that conservative treatment fails, to guide the child and family through hip arthroplasty and rehabilitation. Recent trends suggest that today's more aggressive treatment approach and more effective drugs are resulting in fewer children with JRA developing into severe hip disease requiring hip surgery. Similarly, with improvements in orthopedic surgery, the results of hip arthroplasty have improved.