Cardiovascular risk in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

JIA is the most common chronic inflammatory arthritis in children and young people. More than one-third of individuals have persistent active disease into adulthood. In RA, there has been considerable interest in long-term cardiovascular outcomes. Increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity have been observed and consensus guidelines recommend annual cardiovascular risk assessment for adults with RA. The increased risk is attributed to a higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and the role of systemic inflammation in the acceleration of atherosclerosis. The long-term risk of cardiovascular disease for individuals with JIA remains uncertain and guidance on risk assessment is not currently available. Given the potential for longer disease duration, it is possible that cardiovascular risk in this group surpasses that observed in adult-onset inflammatory arthritides. In this article, we consider the evidence for cardiovascular risk in JIA.