Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffMost complications from adult Still's disease arise from chronic inflammation of your body organs and joints.
- Joint destruction. Chronic inflammation can damage your joints. The most commonly involved joints are your knees and wrists. Your neck, foot, finger and hip joints also may be affected, but much less frequently. In severe cases, joint replacement surgery may be necessary for your hip or knee joints.
- Inflammation of your heart. Adult Still's disease can lead to an inflammation of the sac-like covering of your heart (pericarditis) or of the muscular portion of your heart (myocarditis).
- Excess fluid around your lungs. Inflammation may cause an excess of fluid to build up in the fluid-filled space (pleural space) that surrounds your lungs.
References
- Mandl LA, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of adult Still's disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 31, 2010.
- Mandl LA, et al. Treatment of adult Still's disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 31, 2010.
- Mackowiak PA, et al. Fever of unknown origin. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Bennett, & Dolin: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00051-5--s0150&uniq=212324663&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&sid=1032482890. Accessed July 31, 2010.
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- Kavanaugh A, et al. The locomotor system. In: Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy 2010. 61st ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6642-2..00015-6--s0120&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6642-2..00015-6--s0130&uniq=212413180&isbn=978-1-4160-6642-2&sid=1032716124. Accessed July 31, 2010.
- Altman RD. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec04/ch034/ch034c.html. Accessed July 31, 2010.
- Chang-Miller A (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 16, 2010.

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