Correlation between maxillary sinus and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Cone Beam CT study

Aim: To evaluate a possible correlation between Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and sinusitis of the maxillary sinuses and determine their prevalence. methods: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of probable autoimmune origin. The most important manifestation of this disease is chronic synovitis. Sinusitis of the maxillary sinus is an inflammatory process, acute or chronic, causing a marked thickening of the mucosa, with or without local pain. This study analyzed 200 Cone-Beam CT (cone beam). Of these 100 patients suffering from JIA, 100 were healthy. All patients who fall in this study were aged between 8 and 16 years. All CBCT were observed in the three planes of space, bringing attention to the coronal and transverse sections. Results: The analysis of CT slices showed involvement of the maxillary sinuses in greater proportion in patients with JIA (24%), whereas in healthy subjects are involved in only 11% of cases. The difference between the two study groups was statistically significant (p = 0.0156) (χ2 = 5.85). Of the 24 patients with JIA, 50% showed bilateral sinusitis, 50% unilateral sinusitis. In healthy patients with sinusitis, however, the percentages vary: 36.4% to 63.6% unilateral and bilateral sinusitis. Conclusions: In most cases analyzed, the sinusitis is chronic, especially in patients with JIA. It is possible to assume a correlation between Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) and sinusitis.