Sport and exercise habits in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)

Abstract

Background: Over the last decade implementation of targeted therapy has improved the functional ability in JIA-children. Also, the attitude towards participation of JIA-children in sport has become less restrictive with growing evidence of the benefits of physical activity on e.g. disease, fitness and quality of life. Aim: To explore the habits in gym classes and sport in 10-16 year-old JIAchildren compared to gender- and age-matched healthy controls. Methods: 68 JIA-children (females 60.3%), age 12.74 (±1.70) years, disease duration 5.72 (±4.17) years, and 118 healthy controls (females 50.8%), age 12.36 (±1.74) years, answered questionnaires on sport and exercise habits and functional ability (CHAQ38). For JIA: VAS-pain, Patientand Physician-GA were noted. Results: Mean CHAQ38 scores for JIA: 0.1896 (±0.2025), controls: 0.0359 (±0.0799) indicated only minimal functional impairment in both groups. Pain assessments correlated well to CHAQ38 scores in JIA (p-values <0.01). No significant differences were found between sport-active JIA-children and controls concerning type and number of sport activities or amount of time spent in sport. Significantly more JIA-children were not sportactive (38% (26/68) vs. 25% (29/118)), mainly due to joint pain (12/26) and getting short of breath/side-stitches (9/26). Significantly fewer JIA-children participated fully in gym (p<0.01) and reported pain (91% (62/68)) and difficulties with certain activities (p<0.01). Strategies mainly used when pain; a short break (81%), changing activity (58%), continuing despite pain (37%). Conclusion: JIA-children still participate less in sport activities and are more challenged in gym classes than healthy peers, despite close-tonormal functional ability. However, sport-active JIA-children do not differ significantly from sport-active healthy peers.