Juvenile idiopathic arthritis consists of a spectrum of inflammatory arthropathys which affects children (girls in the early teenage years more often than boys). The patients present with synovitis of various joints (usually a polyarthropathy (more than one joint involved), although initial presentation may be in the form of a monoarthropathy). The wrist-, knee-, and ankle joints are most commonly involved in a monoarthropathic presentation. Rare cases of hip monoarthropathy have been described. Sepsis, tuberculosis and idiopathic chondrolysis should be excluded, diagnostic criteria for JIA should be applied and the patient should be further managed by a rheumatologist. Later in the course of the disease, orthopaedic management for established secondary osteoarthritis is usually required. Many of these JIA patients require relatively early total hip replacements, which carry a unique set of challenges with them.
