Tarsal ankylosis in juvenile and adult onset rheumatoid arthritis.

It has been suggested that tarsal arthritis with ankylosis may be characteristic of late onset Still's disease. In our study 16 of 88 (18%) patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and 22 of 97 (23%) patients with adult RA had radiographic findings of tarsal joint ankylosis. In our patients, tarsal bony fusion was not related to type of disease onset, age of onset or sex; rather it was related to a longer duration of disease. Tarsal ankylosis should not be regarded as a special feature of Still's disease since it can also be seen in adult RA.