Construction and evaluation of the electronic filing system for children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University

Abstract

T his was a retrospective study carried out at the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Clinic, Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of the JRA patients enrolled in the clinic between the period from January 2005 to January 2011. The data enrolled included detailed demographic information, clinical presentation of the disease, and laboratory investigations. Establishment of database for the unit through a computerized program was our main objective to allow for careful follow up of the patients and retrieving data in the future. This study revealed that the diagnosis of JRA during the period of the study has an ascending trend during 2007 and 2010. No specific gender predilection was observed in JRA subtypes whether polyarticular JRA, oligoarticular JRA or SOJRA. Age at onset of JRA and male to female proportion did not differ significantly between seronegative and seropositive polyarticular JRA. Family history of autoimmune diseases was found in 9 (10.6%) patients, while family history of JRA was reported in 5 (5.9%) patients. Fever, maculopapular rash (salmon pink rash), generalized lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegally (HSM) were the most frequent manifestations noted in SOJRA at the initial presentation. Patients with polyarticular JRA had significantly more frequent small joint arthritis as well as wrist and elbow joint arthritis. Also, arthritis was among the initial presenting features in 37 (90.2%) cases of SOJRA.