Chronic arthritis associated with chromosome deletion 22q11.2 syndrome.

Abstract

We describe 3 children with chromosome deletion 22q11.2 and chronic arthritis. The onset of arthritis occurred between the ages of 8 and 17 months. The disease course has been polyarticular in all 3. Neither iridocyclitis nor antinuclear antibody positivity was present. On the basis of the findings in these 3 patients and 9 reported in the literature, chronic arthritis in the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome seems to be characterized by very early onset and severe polyarticular course. Based on our findings the prevalence of chronic arthritis in patients with del 22q11.2 is estimated to be 25-fold compared to that in the general population.