A form of joint disease, arthritis, that presents with systemic upset.
Clinical signs: high intermittent fever, a salmon-coloured skin rash, swollen lymph glands, enlargement of the liver and spleen, and inflammation of the lungs (pleuritis) and around the heart (pericarditis).
The arthritis itself may not be immediately apparent but once apparent, it may persist after the systemic symptoms have resolved.
Synonym: Still's disease.
(03 Jul 1999)