Impact of Musculoskeletal Pain on Functioning and Disability in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in Iceland

Abstract

Aims: 1) to map questions of pain from a survey to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) 2) to compare the impact of musculoskeletal pain on functioning based on the different components of the ICF in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and age-matched peers. Method: A cross-sectional case-control survey. A total of 28 children with JIA and 36 age-matched children participated. The survey included questions on the child’s sex and age, about pain experienced, number of painful body areas, pain frequency and three short forms of Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pain questionnaires. Sixteen children with JIA (57%) and 10 peers (28%) reported pain during past seven days. Their responses were used in the description of impact of pain. Results: After the mapping of the questions to ICF, a comparison between the two groups indicated that a higher number of children with JIA described effects of pain on mental function, mobility, general tasks and demands, than their peers. More children with JIA expressed to others that they had pain, non-verbally and verbally. Conclusion: The findings provide important information about the impacts of pain on daily life in children with JIA and about their intervention needs.