ADULT STILLS DISEASE .1. MANIFESTATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS IN 65 CASESIN FRANCE

Design: a retrospective multicenter study conducted in France identifi ed 65 cases of adult Still's disease, Data were recorded on a standard ized questionnaire validated by the Inflammatory Joint Disease and Imm unorheumatology Committee of the Societe Francaise de Rhumatologie, Ob jectives: (1) to compare clinical and laboratory findings in our patie nts with those reported in earlier studies, particularly two large ser ies from Canada and Japan, respectively; (2) to describe the systemic and visceral complications associated with adult Still's disease, Resu lts: as compared with the two above-mentioned series, our study group included more patients who had experienced onset of their disease afte r the age of 35 years and fewer patients with involvement of the liver , spleen, or lymph nodes, Rates of occurrence of arthritis, myalgia, s ore throat, pleuritis, pericarditis, and abdominal pain were significa ntly higher in the Canadian series than in the other two series, Arthr itis was absent in one fourth of our patients, Life-threatening compli cations included ''Still's hepatopathy'', disseminated intravascular c oagulation (with hemophagocytosis in some cases), and ''Still's myocar ditis'', Conclusion: differences in the expression of adult Still's di sease were found between patients from Canada, France, and Japan, Adul t Still's disease can be responsible for life-threatening complication s.