Hip contracture as the presenting sign in children with HLA-B27 arthritis.

Five pediatric patients who presented with hip contractures are described. There were 3 boys and 2 girls ranging in age from 7 to 14. None had morning stiffness and one complained of no pain at all. Each had undergone several diagnostic procedures and had seen an average of 2.5 doctors before receiving the diagnosis of arthritis. All were antinuclear antibody negative and HLA-B27 positive, and they had excellent responses to treatment with nonsteroidals and physical therapy. HLA-B27 positive arthritis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of otherwise unexplained hip contractures in children.