There have been marked changes in the management of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) over recent decades, mainly with earlier use of methotrexate (MTX). Our aim was to describe orthopaedic interventions in a large group of adults with JIA followed up over several decades.

This was a retrospective observational study of adult JIA patients attending a teaching hospital clinic, with information collated on JIA subtype, disease duration, orthopaedic interventions and exposure to MTX.

The study included 144 patients with median disease duration of 19 years. Survival analysis showed that joint surgery was observed in the majority (75%) of patients with disease duration over 40 years with a trend for less joint surgery in patients with oligoarticular JIA. In total 41 patients (28.5%) had received joint surgery and 17/41(41%) have required multiple procedures. Of those who have required joint surgery, 20/41(48%) had started MTX in their adult years, with only 5/41 (12%), starting MTX prior to first joint replacement and none within five years of disease onset. Of the patients who have not had joint surgery to date, most (46/103, 45%) were receiving MTX or another immunosuppressive agent, in the majority of cases MTX was started within two years of disease onset.

Many adults with JIA require joint replacement surgery and ongoing immunosuppressive treatments, emphasising that JIA is not a benign disease. Many patients who have had joint replacement surgery have had exposure to MTX albeit after many years after disease onset; it remains to be seen whether patients who have received MTX therapy early in their disease course will ultimately have less requirement for joint surgery.