Juvenile Arthritis:the Truth

By Author: Alexis Kenne
Total Articles: 37
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Juvenile arthritis is usually difficult to diagnose due to the wide range of possible symptoms and severity of symptoms. JA may be suspected when a child presents with joint pain and swelling, fever and unexplained rashes. Juvenile arthritis is often difficult to diagnose and treat. It is one of the most common childhood disorders and affects both boys and girls. JA is not contagious.

If your child shows signs of juvenile arthritis, you likely will be referred to a pediatric rheumatologist. Juvenile arthritis can be sometimes very complicated. There are several types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, classified based on the joints affected, symptoms and test results. Juvenile arthritis, also known as juvenile chronic arthritis, childhood arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, has five different subtypes, or classifications, depending on the symptoms found within the first six months of diagnosis. These classifications are pauciarticular, polyarticular, systemic onset, spondyloarthropathy and psoriatic juvenile arthritis.

Juvenile arthritis is not a single disease, but rather a variety of diseases with persistent ...
... symptoms of arthritis. Many children Juvenile Arthritis with do not complain of joint pain, although inflammation causes redness, swelling, warmth, and soreness in the joints. Juvenile arthritis is also known as Juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) It affects children sixteen years old or under. It can restrict a child's participation in social activities. This depends on the pattern of arthritis present, its duration and the degree of damage that has occurred.

Parents can arrange for children to participate in activities that the doctor recommends. During symptom-free periods, many doctors suggest playing team sports or doing other activities to help keep the joints strong and flexible and to provide play time with other children and encourage appropriate social development. Parents completed ratings of their families' and children's behavior and an illness activity rating scale. Siblings in the JCA and comparison groups did not differ in perceptions of their relationships or in their family structure.

Children with juvenile arthritis (JA) have been shown to have reduced muscle and cardiovascular physiology and functional performance compared to normal children. The effects of a specifically prescribed exercise program, focusing on the musculature supporting the inflamed joint, have not been demonstrated. Children cannot do normal activities easily and must be treated aggressively. NSAIDS are given to these patients and sometimes a second line of treatment includes gold shots, sulfasalazine or methotrexate. Children who are very ill also can miss long periods of school, and joint damage can cause long-term joint problems. In addition, the medications used to treat juvenile arthritis can cause other problems, including stomach ulcers, weakened bones and liver damage.

Children who are untreated, or who are treated late in the course of disease have the worst outcome than those who are treated early. In the hands of a physician, who is expert in the management of children with arthritis, even children with severe forms of the disease can have an excellent outcome. Children with this type of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are particularly susceptible to an eye inflammation called iridocyclitis. These children need to be evaluated often by an ophthalmologist, perhaps as often as every three months, because there may not be any symptoms and permanent eye damage can occur even if other symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are under control. Children with the systemic form of arthritis may also have a pink rash that appears on the thighs and lower body. Systemic juvenile arthritis can also affect the lymph system and internal organs, such as the heart and liver.