Factors relating to hip joint arthritis following three childhood diseases--juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Perthes disease, and postreduction avascular necrosis in congenital hip dislocation.

This article discusses factors that relate to the prognosis for development of hip joint arthritis following juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), Perthes disease, and postreduction avascular necrosis in congenital hip dislocation (CDH). In JRA, the integrity of the articular cartilage determines prognosis. In Perthes disease, prognosis is strictly related to the shape of the hip. In postreduction avascular necrosis in CDH, half the patients have a prognosis primarily related to hip joint shape, and half have a prognosis apparently more related to the integrity of the articular cartilage.