Remission rate is not dependent on the presence of antinuclear antibodies in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Recently, it has been hypothesized that the subcategories of the ILAR classification of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are not homogeneous, and that the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) should lead to a separate entity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate ANA positivity as a predictor of achieving remission. A retrospective single-center cohort study including all JIA patients diagnosed between January 2000 and May 2014. A minimum follow-up of 1 year was required plus the ANA status. ANA positivity was defined as at least two positive results with a titer ≥1:160. Demographic and clinical features were collected. Remission at last follow-up was defined by the Wallace criteria. A total of 625 patients met the inclusion criteria and 230 (37%) were found ANA positive. Analysis showed no difference in remission rate between ANA-positive and ANA-negative patients. Additionally, joint count at diagnosis and at last follow-up were comparable in both groups. ANA positivity was correlated to a female predominance and young age at diagnosis (p < 0.001). Remission rates are not different in ANA-positive patients than in ANA-negative patients. This does not support the hypothesis to possibly divide JIA patients based on their ANA status.