Investigation of motor skill in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: The inflammatory process of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is associated comorbidities. The JIA patients can fall behind their healthy peers, and motor and functional skills can reduce. Objectives: The primary aim is to compare the motor skills of JIA patients with healthy controls. The secondary aim is to determine whether disease activity affects patients with JIA. Materials and methods: Fifteen patients with JIA and 15 healthy controls were included in the study. Motor skills were evaluated with Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition Short Form (BOT-2 SF) in patients with JIA and healthy controls. BOT-2 SF measures four motor area composites with eight subtests. Disease activity was evaluated with Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score-27 (JADAS-27), disability level with Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (CHAQ-DI), and disease-related quality of life with Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.0 Arthritis Module for JIA. According to disease activity, patients with JIA were divided into two groups as remission and active. Results: The patients with JIA had significantly lower scores in the total and four motor area of BOT-2 SF compared to healthy controls (p < .05). When the remission and active groups were compared, there was no difference in the total and four motor area of BOT-2 SF, CHAQ-DI, or PedsQL (p > .05). Conclusion: The motor skills of patients with JIA are lower than their healthy peers, and their motor skills, quality of life, and disability did not make a difference between the remission and active period. © 2023 Asociación Colombiana de Reumatología