Rheumatoid arthritis during the first year of life. A case report and review of the literature.

A 20-week-old female, first examined at 14 weeks of age for daily "spiking" fever and skin rash, subsequently developed signs of rheumatoid arthritis. The onset of rheumatoid arthritis during the first weeks of life is rare and its diagnosis may be difficult. It seems that onset during the later months of the first year is more frequently encountered. A review of the relevant publications in English disclosed that onset during first year was noticed in 1.02 percent of the patients, while in a study from Germany 6 to 9.9 percent of cases started during their first year.