Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Hi all! I know there were quite a few inquiries about Arthritis in kids, so I did a little research. According to kidshealth.org nearly 300,000 children in the United States suffer from some sort of arthritis. The most prevalent form is Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), also referred to as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, since it is different than the adult form. One reason it is referred to as idiopathic is that it is unknown what causes it. It usually affects children as young as 6 months to 16 years old. The initial signs are pain, swelling, and reddened joints. It is also said that the more joints that are affected, the more severe the condition. There are 3 major types of JRA.

Oligoarticular JRA affects four or fewer joints. Along with pain, stiffness, and swelling of the joints, knees, and wrists, inflammation of the iris can occur. It can be detected early by an ophthalmologist.

Polyarticular Arthritis is a type that affects more girls than boys. It involves five or more joints. The pain and swelling occurs at small joints of the hands as well as the weight bearing joints like knees, hips, ankles, feet and neck. Usually a fever as well as bumps at pressure areas accompany.

Systemic JRA is the most severe of the three. It involves the whole body. A high fever appears, increases in the evening, and then may drop back to normal. A rash may appear as well as feeling very ill and looking very pale. The spleen and lymph nodes swell, followed by the stiffness, pain, and swelling of the joints.

Diagnosis occurs through tests like X-Rays, blood culture, bone marrow exam, as well as a bone scan. Lyme disease is also checked. Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs, such as Advil and Ibuprofen as well as physical therapy are used to treat the conditions.