Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis – Some Important Facts

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) refers to a prevalent type of arthritis in kids. It is a chronic or long term disease which usually starts with an inexplicable rash, swollen knuckle and a spiking fever. Not a lot of people can expect arthritis as a diagnosis for children as this disease is usually associated with older people. This may cause a lot of confusion for parents that are why this article will attempt to explain this condition and the causes that lead to its development.

 

Generally, arthritis is a medical condition wherein the joints get inflamed thereby causing pain, heat and swelling. As of 2008, 300,000 children in the United States have been diagnosed with this disease. Arthritis may be chronic or long term (lasting years and years), or short term (lasting for a few weeks or months then disappearing forever). Those that last a lifetime are rare and serious which requires proper medical attention and intervention.

 

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis – The Facts

 

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis. It has been known to affect around 50,000 kids in America which is also called juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) due to the fact that its symptoms and treatment is very different to that of the adult rheumatoid arthritis.

 

What are the causes of JRA?

There have been no definite studies that were able to pinpoint the exact cause of JRA although many studies have shown that it is what is known as an autoimmune disease. In these kinds of medical condition, the white blood cells of the body can no longer differentiate between our own healthy cells and harmful invaders such as viruses and bacteria. Our immune system whose primary function is to defend our body from such infections end up releasing substances that damage healthy body tissues thereby causing a lot of pain and some inflammation characterized by swelling and presence of fever.

 

How do you manage Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis or JRA?

In order to be able to effectively manage JRA, it is important that early and correct diagnosis is done. A thorough understanding of how the disease works and progresses as well as its symptoms and treatment will also be helpful. There are several kinds of JRA that is why it is important that a reliable doctor is consulted to determine the specific type that a child has in order to help him or her maintain a productive and active lifestyle.

 

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis – Conclusions

 

What are the kinds of JRA?

There are three major kinds of JRA. The first one is Oligoarticular JRA which affects fewer than four joints usually in the wrist and knees. Symptoms for this kind include stiffness, pain, and swelling in the joints. The second type is the Polyarticular arthritis which has been known to affect more female than male children. This is characterized by pain and swelling in more than five joints usually in the hands and other weight bearing regions like hips, knees, feet, ankles and neck. Apart from this, a low grade fever may also be expected as well as bumps appearing on the body where the pain is centralized. The last kind of JRA or Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is systemic JRA which affects the whole body and has the classic symptom of high fevers that elevate during the evenings and suddenly drop to normal during the day.

 

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