Cardiac involvement in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. A follow-up study.

Cardiac involvement was diagnosed in 15 of 320 cases of JRA (4.7%) and was most frequent in children with active systemic disease. Ten children had pericarditis, 2 had myocarditis, 2 had peri-myocarditis and 1 had aortic valvulitis. The highest risk of heart involvement was found during the first three years but it could occur at any time. Recurrent episodes were seen in 60% of cases. The prognosis in pericarditis seems to be good since no patient developed cardiac tamponade or constrictive pericarditis and cardiac function evaluated by echocardiography was normal in all patients at follow-up. In patients with myocarditis and peri-myocarditis, a dilated left ventricle was found in 2 of 4 patients and 1 patient who died, had severe cardiac changes at autopsy. The prognosis in myocarditis thus seems to be worse. In valvulitis the prognosis depends on which valve is involved. The benefit of early treatment with corticosteroids is discussed.