Young Adults With Juvenile Arthritis Need Specialized Care, with Karen Onel, MD

As Juvenile Arthritis (JA) Awareness Month comes to an end, it’s an important time to highlight not only the condition itself, but also the broader systemic and developmental hurdles that affect how young people with JA and other chronic conditions engage with the healthcare system as they age. One of the most pressing issues is what happens after pediatric care ends—specifically, how to keep patients connected to consistent, quality care during the transition to adulthood. This challenge is not unique to rheumatology, but it’s particularly complex in this field, where conditions evolve over time, treatment access can shift based on age, and many young adults no longer maintain regular relationships with primary care providers.

In recognition of Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, the Arthritis Foundation is spotlighting its ongoing efforts to support kids with JA and their families. That includes pushing for more specialized care for young adults transitioning care from juvenile to adult arthritis..

To better understand the complexities of JA care, HCPLive spoke with Karen Onel, MD, Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine, as a representative of the Arthritis Foundation.

Onel reflected on the cultural and structural changes in healthcare that have made this period of transition even more fragmented. From the delayed onset of adulthood to the increasing reliance on urgent care over routine visits, she offered insight into the real-life implications for continuity of care. She emphasized that bridging these gaps isn’t just about insurance or access, it’s also about equipping young adults with the skills and support systems they need to stay connected to care.

"Even the Nordic studies, where insurance is not a barrier, show that people get lost with active disease. So they actually tracked people down and called them and [asked], do you have morning stiffness for more than 15 minutes? Do you have swollen joints? Are you seeing a rheumatologist? And they would say, yes, yes, no," Onel said.

Onel has no relevant disclosures to report.

REFERENCE

Thatayatikom A, Modica R, De Leucio A. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. [Updated 2023 Jan 16]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554605/