Objective: To investigate the relationship between age and symptom duration at initial presentation to pediatric rheumatology for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
Methods: In children and young people (CYP) enrolled in the Childhood Arthritis Prospective Study prior to March 2018, an association between age at presentation (< 5, 5-11, and > 11 yrs) and symptom duration was tested by multivariable linear regression.
Results: In 1577 CYP, 5- to 11-year-olds took 3.2 months longer and > 11-year-olds 6.9 months longer to reach pediatric rheumatology than < 5-year-olds.
Conclusion: Adolescents take longer to reach pediatric rheumatology, potentially affecting their longer-term outcomes given the window of opportunity for JIA treatment.
Keywords: adolescent rheumatology; age; juvenile idiopathic arthritis; pediatric rheumatology; symptom duration.
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