Evaluation of the frequency of allergic diseases in pediatric patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Abstract

Objective: Allergic diseases are characterized by a T-helper type 2 (Th2) dominant immune response, whereas juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an autoimmune condition attributed to the Th1 pathway of CD4⁺ T cells. Reciprocal inhibition between the Th1 and Th2 responses is proposed to result in mutual exclusion of their polarized immune responses and associated diseases. This study aimed to ascertain the frequency of allergic diseases among children with JIA. Methods: The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was used to assess symptoms of allergic diseases in children with JIA and a control group of children with no known autoimmune diseases. The presence of current wheezing, allergic rhinitis and/or rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms, eczema symptoms, and food allergy symptoms were assessed based on affirmative answers. Results: The ISAAC questionnaire was administered to 101 children with JIA and 99 healthy controls. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 12.64 years (8.83-15.83 years) in the JIA group and 11.99 years (6.65-14.90 years) in the control group. Children with JIA had lower rates of current wheezing (p = 0.003), current allergic rhinitis (p < 0.001), current rhinoconjunctivitis (p = 0.006), current atopic dermatitis (p < 0.001), and current food allergy (p = 0.005) symptoms. In addition, ever having had allergic rhinitis, wheezing, and atopic dermatitis were less common in the JIA group. In the multivariate logistic regression model, the absence of autoimmune disease in the patient and the presence of any allergic disease in the mother emerged as independent risk factors for current wheezing symptoms and current rhinoconjunctivitis and/or rhinitis. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the frequency of allergic diseases was lower in the presence of JIA, an autoimmune disease. This offers further evidence of mutual opposition between diseases that involve the Th1 and Th2 pathways, but there remains no consensus on this matter. More comprehensive studies that delve into the molecular foundations of these diseases are still needed to reach more definitive conclusions.