Long-term follow-up of 246 adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: social function, relationships and sexual activity

Objective. To examine social function, relationships and sexual activity in adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Patients and methods. Two hundred and forty-six adults identified with long-standing JIA had an average disease duration of 28.3 yr. Specific information was sought on marital status, offspring, age at first sexual encounter, and problems related to disease in sexual activity and pregnancy. Results. Fewer patients (42.8%) were in stable relationships than their siblings (55.3%). The percentage of patients with children was 27.5. Twenty-three per cent of all known pregnancies ended in miscarriage. Of the women who had had a Caesarean, 78.9% had either reduced hip mobility or short stature. JIA had a detrimental effect on body image in 50.7% of patients but relationships were affected in only 28.2%. The percentage of patients who were sexually active or had had previous sexual experience was 83.3; 58.3% of these had disease-related sexual problems. Conclusions. A significant proportion of individuals are sexually active before transfer to adult rheumatology care at the age of 18 yr. This highlights the need to introduce sexual counselling in adolescent clinics. The high incidence of psychological sexual problems may benefit from appropriate counselling and training.