Long-term follow-up of 246 adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: education and employment.

Abstract

To examine the levels of education and employment in adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) compared with their siblings and national figures. Two hundred and forty-six adults identified with long-standing JIA had an average disease duration of 28.3 yr. Educational achievements and employment status were recorded and comparative data obtained from siblings and the National Office for Statistics, UK. The effects, incidence and nature of discrimination in the workplace were also explored. Across all levels of education the study group achieved significantly better results than both the national average and their siblings. In contrast, the rate of unemployment in the patient group was more than twice that in the national population. The percentage of patients who had encountered discrimination in the workplace was 25.1.