Different familial association patterns of autoimmune diseases between juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Chun-Mei Huang, Yao-Hsu Yang, Bor-Luen Chiang
Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC

Received: July 10, 2003 Revised: August 12, 2003 Accepted: August 28, 2003

Corresponding author: Dr. Bor-Luen Chiang, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, No 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan 100, ROC. E-mail:

The aim of this study was to determine if the prevalence of autoimmune disorders in the relatives of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is greater than that of relatives of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Interviews were used to obtain histories of the following autoimmune disorders among living or deceased first-, second-, and third-degree relatives of 91 SLE and 110 JRA families: ankylosing spondylitis, SLE, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), JRA, multiple sclerosis, juvenile dermatomyositis, Sjgrens syndrome, myasthenia gravis, psoriasis, and thyroid diseases. There were statistically significant differences between the SLE and JRA probands in mean age and gender ratio (19.1 4.8 vs 14.0 5.5 years; M (male)/F (female): 17/74 vs 62/48, p

Key words: Autoimmune diseases, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, multifactorial inheritance, systemic lupus erythematosus

J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2004;37:88-94.