Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis has always been erroneously thought of as a condition that affects the elderly. Unfortunately, it does affect the children as well. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis most commonly affects children. Though it is generally mild, causing hardly any problems, in severe cases it causes damage to the joints and the tissues. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation of the joints, stiff and bent joints, damage to the joints, and change in the growth. As is the case of Ankylosing Spondylitis, children suffering from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis also suffer from stiffness of the joints in the morning on waking up, or after a prolonged period of rest.
However, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis too, affects different children differently, and not all children may experience all these symptoms. Even the degree of severity of a particular symptom may vary from children to children. Even in the case of the same child, the symptoms may vary from one day to another.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a collective disease. The three identified forms are pauciarticular, polyarticular and systemic. In pouciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a child may suffer from inflammation in few joints such as the knee and shoulder. If it is polyarticular, then many joints get inflamed simultaneously, for example knees, wrists, elbows, and so on. Polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis attacks symmetrically; for example, the joints of the left and right hand become inflammation at the same time.
There are three categories of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: polyarticular, pauciaticular, and systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. These three categories have different symptoms and require different appropriate treatment.
The cause of the disease is unknown, even in the case of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The child complaining of joint pain is often examined to confirm for rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms include difficulty to get up after sitting down, pain in the mornings while waking up-everything that is caused by the stiffness and swelling of the joints. They are also asked for a family history of rheumatoid arthritis. Once the disease is suspected, preliminary tests are conducted to understand the intensity of the disease. On the basis of the test results, the child is given treatment and medication. While some have an easy recovery, others suffer from more complicated symptoms. Sometimes, in some children, the symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis remain dormant for a period of time. It may suddenly emerge or “flare up” when the child least expects it.
One particular type of Pauciarticular arthritis affects girls less than seven years of age, and in 33 percent of the cases inflames the eye. The other type affects boys eight years old and older, and affects the sacroiliac joints, ankles, hips, and knees, among others. They may suffer from redness and pain in the eyes, as well.
Systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis refers to the fact that the disease may sometimes affect the whole body. This happens when the immune system becomes weakened by the disease. Children afflicted with systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may experience fevers, rashes, in addition to the feelings of joint stiffness and overall pain and discomfort. Other symptoms that are specific to the systematic form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis include the enlargement of the lymph nodes and the spleen.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto immune disease, which is characterized by inflammation in the lining of the joints and only affects 1 to 2 percent of the population. This disease often begins with middle aged individuals and is more common...
Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes and DiagnosisArthritis is the term used for over 100 rheumatoid and joint related diseases, with the most common being Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. The word arthritis refers to \"joint inflammation\" and rheumatoid arthritis is actually an attack on the immune system...
Rheumatoid Arthritis in JuvenilesStatistics prove that nearly 300,000 children in America have a form of arthritis. The most common form is Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, or JRA, and it affects nearly 50,000 children in the U.S....
Getting to Know Rheumatoid Arthritis SymptomA rheumatoid arthritis symptom may really be a cause for some concern. Like the other forms of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis can cause you a lot of pain and discomfort. It can also limit your ability to move efficiently. This particular...
Rheumatoid Arthritis - Analyzing A Health ProblemRheumatoid Arthritis is something of a mystery, meaning that doctors aren’t sure of the cause. Many people associate arthritis with old age but there have been cases of children who suffer from the joint inflammation and pain too. It’s believed...