Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (681 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Arthritis in children, with onset before 16 years of age. The terms juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) refer to classification systems for chronic arthritis in children. Only one subtype of juvenile arthritis (polyarticular-onset, rheumatoid factor-positive) clinically resembles adult rheumatoid arthritis and is considered its childhood equivalent.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Juvenile Arthritis; Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis; Idiopathic Arthritis, Juvenile; Arthritis, Juvenile Idiopathic; Juvenile Chronic Arthritis; Chronic Arthritis, Juvenile; Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis; Childhood Arthritis.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Arthritis; Rheumatic Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 12,797 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Arthritis, Juvenile” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 2,394 of them (18.7%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 5,031 records.
Reviews account for 1,907 records (14.9%) and meta-analyses for 96. Randomized controlled trials number 224 (1.8%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 5,031 |
| 2000-2009 | 2,235 |
| 2010-2019 | 3,137 |
| 2020 onward | 2,394 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,907 | 14.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 96 | 0.8% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 224 | 1.8% |
Method: PubMed query "Arthritis, Juvenile"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in immunology
Immune responses are studied in model organisms, in cells from donors and in patients, and the same pathway can behave differently across these settings. Mouse immune systems differ from human ones in important ways, and blood measurements may not reflect what happens in tissues. Clinical conclusions about immune-mediated disease or immunotherapy come mainly from controlled trials and long-term cohorts. Check the species and tissue studied, whether markers were linked to outcomes patients notice, and the follow-up time.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synovial tissue atlas in juvenile idiopathic arthritis reveals pathogenic niches associated with disease severity | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 22 | cc by PMID 40601776 · DOI · PMC7617933 |
| Towards stratified treatment of JIA: machine learning identifies subtypes in response to methotrexate from four UK cohorts | 2024 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 14 | cc by PMID 38194741 · DOI · PMC10792564 |
| Spatial transcriptomics reveals immune-stromal crosstalk within the synovium of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 12 | cc by PMID 41269758 · DOI · PMC12890527 |
Synovial tissue atlas in juvenile idiopathic arthritis reveals pathogenic niches associated with disease severity [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Precision application of targeted therapies is urgently needed to improve long-term clinical outcomes for children affected by inflammatory arthritis, known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
- Closing excerpt
- Overall, our findings demonstrate the need for age-specific analyses of synovial tissue pathology to guide targeted treatment strategies in JIA.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (212 words)
Precision application of targeted therapies is urgently needed to improve long-term clinical outcomes for children affected by inflammatory arthritis, known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Progress has been hampered by our limited understanding of the cellular basis of inflammation in the target tissue of the disease, the synovial membrane. Here, we analyzed biopsies from the inflamed joints of treatment-naïve children with JIA, early in the course of their disease, using single-cell RNA sequencing, multiplexed immunofluorescence, and spatial transcriptomics to establish a cellular atlas of the JIA synovium. We identified distinct spatial tissue niches, composed of specific stromal and immune cell populations. In addition, we localized genes linked to arthritis severity and disease risk to effector cell populations, including tissue resident SPP1+ macrophages and fibrin-associated myeloid cells. Combined analyses of synovial fluid and peripheral blood from matched individuals revealed differences in cellular composition, signaling pathways, and transcriptional programs across these distinct anatomical compartments. Furthermore, our analysis revealed several pathogenic cell populations that are shared with adult-onset inflammatory arthritis, as well as age-associated differences in tissue vascularity, prominence of innate immunity, and enrichment of TGF-β-responsive stromal subsets that up-regulate expression of disease risk-associated genes. Overall, our findings demonstrate the need for age-specific analyses of synovial tissue pathology to guide targeted treatment strategies in JIA.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40601776 · DOI · PMC7617933
Towards stratified treatment of JIA: machine learning identifies subtypes in response to methotrexate from four UK cohorts [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundMethotrexate (MTX) is the gold-standard first-line disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), despite only being either effective or tolerated in half of children and young people (CYP).
- Closing excerpt
- FundingMedical Research Council, Versus Arthritis, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, Olivia's Vision, and the National Institute for Health Research.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (300 words)
BackgroundMethotrexate (MTX) is the gold-standard first-line disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), despite only being either effective or tolerated in half of children and young people (CYP). To facilitate stratified treatment of early JIA, novel methods in machine learning were used to i) identify clusters with distinct disease patterns following MTX initiation; ii) predict cluster membership; and iii) compare clusters to existing treatment response measures.MethodsDiscovery and verification cohorts included CYP who first initiated MTX before January 2018 in one of four UK multicentre prospective cohorts of JIA within the CLUSTER consortium. JADAS components (active joint count, physician (PGA) and parental (PGE) global assessments, ESR) were recorded at MTX start and over the following year. Clusters of MTX 'response' were uncovered using multivariate group-based trajectory modelling separately in discovery and verification cohorts. Clusters were compared descriptively to ACR Pedi 30/90 scores, and multivariate logistic regression models predicted cluster-group assignment.FindingsThe discovery cohorts included 657 CYP and verification cohorts 1241 CYP. Six clusters were identified: Fast improvers (11%), Slow Improvers (16%), Improve-Relapse (7%), Persistent Disease (44%), Persistent PGA (8%) and Persistent PGE (13%), the latter two characterised by improvement in all features except one. Factors associated with clusters included ethnicity, ILAR category, age, PGE, and ESR scores at MTX start, with predictive model area under the curve values of 0.65-0.71. Singular ACR Pedi 30/90 scores at 6 and 12 months could not capture speeds of improvement, relapsing courses or diverging disease patterns.InterpretationSix distinct patterns following initiation of MTX have been identified using methods in artificial intelligence. These clusters demonstrate the limitations in traditional yes/no treatment response assessment (e.g., ACRPedi30) and can form the basis of a stratified medicine programme in early JIA.FundingMedical Research Council, Versus Arthritis, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, Olivia's Vision, and the National Institute for Health Research.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38194741 · DOI · PMC10792564
Spatial transcriptomics reveals immune-stromal crosstalk within the synovium of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most prevalent chronic inflammatory arthritis of childhood, yet the spatial organization in the synovium remains poorly understood.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings provide a spatially resolved molecular framework of JIA synovitis and introduce a generalizable computational pipeline for spatial colocalization analysis in tissue inflammation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (169 words)
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most prevalent chronic inflammatory arthritis of childhood, yet the spatial organization in the synovium remains poorly understood. Here, we perform subcellular-resolution spatial transcriptomic profiling of synovial tissue from patients with active JIA. We identify diverse immune and stromal cell populations and reconstruct spatially defined cellular niches. Applying a newly developed spatial colocalization analysis pipeline, we uncover microanatomical structures, including endothelial-fibroblast interactions mediated by NOTCH signaling, and a CXCL9/CXCR3 signaling axis between inflammatory macrophages and CD8+ T cells, alongside the characterization of other resident macrophage subsets. We also detect and characterize tertiary lymphoid structures marked by CXCL13/CXCR5 and CCL19-mediated signaling from Tph cells and immunoregulatory DCs, analogous to those observed in other autoimmune diseases. Finally, comparative analysis with rheumatoid arthritis reveals JIA-enriched cell states, including NOTCH3+ and CXCL12+ sublining fibroblasts, suggesting potentially differential inflammatory programs in pediatric versus adult arthritis. These findings provide a spatially resolved molecular framework of JIA synovitis and introduce a generalizable computational pipeline for spatial colocalization analysis in tissue inflammation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41269758 · DOI · PMC12890527
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Interleukin 6: at the interface of human health and disease [4]
- Research article 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Therapeutic Approaches for Non-Systemic Polyarthritis, Sacroiliitis, and Enthesitis [5]
- Research article Juvenile idiopathic arthritis [6]
- Research article Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: from aetiopathogenesis to therapeutic approaches [7]
- Research article 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Screening, Monitoring, and Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis [8]
- Research article 2021 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Therapeutic Approaches for Oligoarthritis, Temporomandibular Joint Arthritis, and Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis [9]
References
- Bolton C, Mahony CB, Clay E, Nisa PR, Lomholt S, Hackland A, et al.. Synovial tissue atlas in juvenile idiopathic arthritis reveals pathogenic niches associated with disease severity. . 2025. PMID 40601776 · DOI · PMC7617933
- Shoop-Worrall SJW, Lawson-Tovey S, Wedderburn LR, Hyrich KL, Geifman N, CLUSTER Consortium. Towards stratified treatment of JIA: machine learning identifies subtypes in response to methotrexate from four UK cohorts. . 2024. PMID 38194741 · DOI · PMC10792564
- Inamo J, Fierkens R, Clay MR, Jonsson AH, Lin C, Hayes K, et al.. Spatial transcriptomics reveals immune-stromal crosstalk within the synovium of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. . 2026. PMID 41269758 · DOI · PMC12890527
- Grebenciucova E, VanHaerents S. Interleukin 6: at the interface of human health and disease. Front Immunol. 2023. PMID 37841263 · DOI · PMC10569068
- Ringold S, Angeles-Han ST, Beukelman T, Lovell D, Cuello CA, Becker ML, et al.. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Therapeutic Approaches for Non-Systemic Polyarthritis, Sacroiliitis, and Enthesitis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2019. PMID 31021516 · DOI · PMC6561125
- Martini A, Lovell DJ, Albani S, Brunner HI, Hyrich KL, Thompson SD, et al.. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2022. PMID 35087087 · DOI
- Zaripova LN, Midgley A, Christmas SE, Beresford MW, Baildam EM, Oldershaw RA. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: from aetiopathogenesis to therapeutic approaches. Pediatr Rheumatol Online J. 2021. PMID 34425842 · DOI · PMC8383464
- Angeles-Han ST, Ringold S, Beukelman T, Lovell D, Cuello CA, Becker ML, et al.. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Screening, Monitoring, and Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2019. PMID 31021540 · DOI · PMC6777949
- Onel KB, Horton DB, Lovell DJ, Shenoi S, Cuello CA, Angeles-Han ST, et al.. 2021 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Therapeutic Approaches for Oligoarthritis, Temporomandibular Joint Arthritis, and Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022. PMID 35233993 · DOI · PMC10161784
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.