JIA-Uveitis: Co-existent Uveitis and Arthritis in Children

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kerstin Gerhold

Arthritis is among the most common chronic diseases of childhood. Approximately 8 out of every 100 children with chronic arthritis also will have associated inflammation in the eye, a condition called uveitis.  Healthcare providers don’t know the causes for chronic arthritis in children and for uveitis or why JIA and uveitis occur together or why being a girl, having a young onset age and having a positive test for a marker in the blood called antinuclear antibody (ANA) are each factors that increase the risk for the development of uveitis associated with JIA.

This research hopes to uncover a collection of patient features, blood tests and genetic markers that, when combined together, will help predict which children will develop JIA-uveitis, the outcomes of their disease, and how they will respond to treatment.