Prevalence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies in juvenile idiopathic arthritis in Benin

Abstract

Introduction: The diagnosis of Juvenile Idiopathic Ar￾thritis (JIA) is difficult in sub-Saharan countries due to the complexity and polymorphism of the disease. JIA can be accompanied by the presence of Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies (ACPA). This work aims to determine the prevalence of ACPA among children suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis in Benin. Patients and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study over 5 years was conducted in the rheumatology and pediatric departments of National Hospital University Hu￾bert Koutoukou Maga of Cotonou among children suffer￾ing from osteoarticular disorders. ACPA were checked by an Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) in serum samples from patients with JIA. Which had been retained using ILAR criteria. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 software. Results: Among 179 children treated for osteo-articular disorders, 32 (17.8%) had JIA. There were 19 girls and 13 boys. The teenagers’ group (range from 13 to 16 years old) was the most represented age group (53.1%). Polyarthritis was the most common symptom for reasons of consulta￾tion or hospitalization (63%). The most common form of JIA in our series was enthesitis-related arthritis (9 i.e. 28.1%) that affected female teenagers (sex ratio=0.8), followed by Rheumatoid Factor (RF)-positive polyarthritis (8 i.e. 25%) which were frequent in the female child (7-12 years old). Bi￾ological inflammatory syndrome was present in all children. ACPA were present in 28.1% of JIA cases, including 55.6% of RF positive polyarthritis. Conclusion: Prevalence of ACPA remains relatively high among children suffering from JIA in the Beninese popula￾tion. Its high presence in teenagers probably suggests that it is early juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It is important to con￾duct further studies to better clarify the role of antibodies in the course of the disease.