Patients With ChildCRD Perform Worse Academically

Patients with childhood-onset chronic rheumatic diseases (ChildCRD) performed less well on grade 12 standardized testing than their unaffected peers, according to findings from a recent Canadian study. These results were independent of sociodemographic and mental health comorbidities.

To compare grade 12 standardized test results as well as factors associated with those test results of patients with ChildCRD and their unaffected peers, the researchers looked at all patients with ChildCRD (juvenile arthritis and systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease) from the single pediatric rheumatology center in Manitoba born between January 1979 and December 1998. These records were then linked to the provincial administrative databases which that contained records of health care use and education outcomes and patients were matched by age, sex, and postal codes to peers without ChildCRD. Outcomes measured were the grade 12 Language Arts Achievement Index (LAI) and the Math Achievement Index (MAI) scores.

The researchers matched 541 patients with ChildCRD to 2713 unaffected peers. Compared to the unaffected cohort, patients with ChildCRD had lower LAI and MAI scores. The authors went on, “More patients with ChildCRD failed or did not take the language arts (51% vs 41%, P < 0.001) and math (61% vs 55%, P = 0.02) tests.”

Other variables associated with worse LAI and MAI results were lower socioeconomic status, younger maternal age at first childbirth, family income assistance, involvement with child welfare services, and mental health morbidities occurring between ChildCRD diagnosis and standardized testing.

—Allison Casey

Reference:
Lim LS, Ekuma O, Marrie RA, et al. A Population-based study of grade 12 academic performance in adolescents with childhood-onset chronic rheumatic diseases. J Rheumatol.  Published online first: November 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.201514