Adult onset Still's disease: clinical experience with 18 patients over 15 years in northern India.

Over a 15 year period 18 patients (eight men, 10 women), 16-50 years old, were diagnosed as having adult onset Still's disease. Fever and arthralgia were always present but prominent lymphadenopathy was uncommon and the serosa were rarely affected. The typical rash of this disease was observed in nine patients. Several complications, including deforming arthritis, amyloidosis, granulomatous hepatitis, uveitis, scleritis, cutaneous vasculitis, and cardiomyopathy, were observed during follow up. Two patients were affected by a nosocomial infection during immunosuppressive treatment for uncontrolled disease. There were no characteristic features at necropsy. Ten patients had a monocyclic course that responded well to aspirin and indomethacin, whereas eight had a polycyclic pattern which invariably required treatment with corticosteroids. Serious complications developed exclusively in the latter group. This group of patients requires early, intensive disease modifying treatment.