Posted on September 21, 2007 in Latest News
Today’s lifestyle has not just made the elderly but even small children vulnerable to arthritis. Arthritis in children is referred to as juvenile arthritis. There are several different types of juvenile arthritis.
The most common form is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), also known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. There are several different types of JRA, which cause joint inflammation and begin before the age of 16. They are often associated with distinct symptoms and complications and may require different approaches to treatment.
Systemic onset JRA affects about 10 percent of children with arthritis. It may cause inflammation of the internal organs as well as the joints. Swelling of the joints may not be present at onset and may appear months or even years after the onset of fevers.
Symptoms
- It begins with a recurrent fever that can be 103 ° F or higher
- A pink rash that comes and goes often accompanies it.
- Anemia (a low red blood cell count) and elevated white blood cell counts are also typical.
Arthritis may persist despite the fevers and other systemic symptoms going away.
Pauciarticular JRA which involves fewer than five joints, affects about half of all children with arthritis. Often only one knee is affected. It is the girls who are more at risk than boys.
This type of arthritis subsides with time in children who develop this form of JRA when they are younger than 7 years old. Unfortunately they are at increased risk of developing an inflammatory eye problem (iritis or uveitis) that may persist independently of the arthritis.
Parents have to be extremely careful because symptoms of this eye problem cannot be detected. Therefore, regular examinations by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) are essential both to detect these conditions and prevent vision loss.
Older children with pauciarticular JRA may develop “extended” arthritis that involves multiple joints and lasts into adulthood.
Polyarticular JRA is another type of arthritis which affects five or more joints and can begin at any age.
Some affected children actually have the adult form of rheumatoid arthritis that begins at an earlier-than-usual age.
Its very sad to see our children suffering from such a painful disease. Therefore parents take every pain and see that you take every preventive measure against this disease.
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