Deciphering Clinical and Genetic Determinants of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in African American Children

African American or Black children with JIA experience higher disease activity and joint damage compared to White children, yet the factors driving these differences remain unclear. Black children have a higher incidence of RF-positive polyarticular JIA, a subtype that shares clinical and genetic features with RA. Black patients have a higher incidence of SLE than White patients. Successful completion of these aims will define clinical and genetic overlap between JIA, RA, and SLE in Black patients and determine the relationship between these features and disease activity.