Juvenile Arthritis

Juvenile arthritis is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in one or more joints and begins before the age of 16. Juvenile arthritis can be genetic disease, affecting children whose immune system is prone to viral attack. In fact Juvenile Arthritis is actually a group of diseases which affect children.

Doctors classify JRA into three types by the number of joints involved, the symptoms, and the presence or absence of certain proteins in the bloods. These classifications help the doctor determine how the disease will progress and whether the internal organs or skin are affected. The types of Juvenile Arthritis include:

• Pauciarticular
• Polyarticular
• Systemic

Causes Of Juvenile Arthritis

JRA is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the body mistakenly identifies some of its own cells and tissues as foreign. The immune system, which normally helps to fight off harmful foreign substances such as bacteria or viruses, begins to attack healthy cells and tissues. The result is inflammation - marked by redness, heat, pain, and swelling.

Doctors do not know why this happens in children who develop JRA, but scientists suspect that it is a two-step process. First, something in a child's genetic makeup gives them a tendency to develop JRA; then an environmental factor, such as a virus, triggers the development of JRA.

Juvenile Arthritis Symptoms

The most common symptom of all types of JRA is persistent joint swelling, pain and stiffness that typically is worse in the morning or after a nap. The pain may limit movement of the affected joint, although many children, especially younger ones, will not complain of pain.

One of the earliest signs of JRA may be limping in the morning because of an affected knee. Besides joint symptoms, children with systemic JRA have a high fever and a light pink rash. The rash and fever may appear and disappear very quickly. Systemic JRA also may cause the lymph nodes in the neck and other parts of the body to swell. In less than half of cases, internal organs like the heart and (very rarely) the lungs may be involved.

Eye inflammation is a potentially severe complication that sometimes occurs in children with pauciarticular JRA. These diseases often are not present until some time after a child first develops JRA.

Typically, there are periods when the symptoms of JRA are better (remissions) and times when symptoms are worse (flares). JRA is different for each child - some may have just one or two flares, then never have symptoms again, while others experience many flares or even have symptoms that never go away.

Juvenile Arthritis Diagnosis

If you think your child might have JA, see a doctor right away. Early diagnosis and treatment can control inflammation, relieve pain, prevent joint damage and maintain your child's ability to function. Give the doctor your child's complete medical history. He or she will physically examine your child and may order laboratory tests and imaging studies. Juvenile arthritis is both a clinical diagnosis and a diagnosis of exclusion. This means that the diagnosis is made by doing a complete medical history and physical exam rather than by a blood test or X-ray, and that other conditions that cause arthritis must be excluded.

Juvenile Arthritis Treatment

In many cases, JRA may be treated with a combination of medication, physical therapy, and exercise. In specific situations, your child may require injection of corticosteroids into the joint or surgery. Your child's health care providers, including the primary care physician, rheumatologist, and physical therapist, should work together to develop the best method of treatment for your child.

The goals of treatment are to relieve pain and inflammation, slow down or prevent the destruction of joints, and restore use and function of the joints to promote optimal growth, physical activity, and social and emotional development in your child.