Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis General Information

Arthritis is an inflammatory medical condition that affected the patient’s joints. The inflammation is generally characterized by pain, heat and / or swelling. About 50,000 children from the US have been diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (commonly abbreviated as JRA). The presence of this medical disorder can last for a short period of time (a few weeks or a few months); in this case, the child is considered to suffer from short-term arthritis. However, other children present the chronic form of this medical disorder, that is known to last for a few years (in several isolated cases, the condition lasted for the individual’s lifetime). This medical disorder is also commonly known as JIA (that stands for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis), as this form of arthritis is very different from the one that is experienced by adult patients.

Scientists were unable to find the cause of the development of this medical disorder (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) in children. However, some scientists agree that this disease is an autoimmune one. In order words, the patient’s white blood cells are not able to make the difference between harmful invaders of the organism (viruses, bacteria, and so on) and the organism’s healthy cells. For this reason, the body’s immune system starts to release chemicals that attack the organism’s healthy tissues. This leads to pain and inflammation. Most children develop this medical disorder between the ages of 6 months and fifteen years. There are three major types of the juvenile form of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Polyarticular Arthritis (affects more female patients than male patients), Oligoarticular JRA (it does not affect more than four joints), and Systemic JRA (a severe form of this medical disorder that is known to affect the whole organism of the patient).

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

The first symptoms of this medical condition (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) are either obvious or subtle. They generally include the presence of a sore wrist, limping, a sore knee and / or finger. At some point, the joints may swell and remain that way. Joint stiffness (that mostly affects the hips, the knee and the neck) is also a commonly encountered symptom. The patient may experience rashes on various parts of the body. Some patients who have been diagnosed with the presence of this clinical disorder have complained of high fever. This particular symptom tends to spike at the end of the day (in the evening). It appears and disappears in a sudden, unexpected way.

Oligoarticular Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis mostly affects the wrist and knee joints. Among its unusual symptoms is the inflammation of the iris (uveitis). This can be easily detected by a well trained ophthalmologist. Polyarticular arthritis is known to affect at least five joints. It affects all types of joints (weight bearing ones such as neck, feet, ankles, hips, knees, and so on but also the body’s small joints: those that are present in the hands). The presence of this disorder leads to the appearance of nodules, bumps, a low grade fever, and so on. Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is known to affect the entire organism. The patient will experience high fevers. During the onset of the high fevers the child will develop paleness, feeling of illness, rashes, and so on. Some patients presented enlarged lymph nodes and an enlarged spleen.

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

In order to effectively minimize the effects of this disorder and manage them at the same time, an early and correct diagnosis is crucial. To diagnose this clinical condition (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) in any of its forms, the physician will ask for details regarding the patient’s complete clinical history. Thorough physical examinations and a set of simple medical tests (blood tests, X-rays, and so on) are able to help the health care provider exclude the presence of other clinical conditions that are known to trigger the same symptoms (such as Lyme disease). The most common medical exams that are employed in the diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis include complete blood counts (CBCs), examination of the patient’s bone marrow, blood culture, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, bone scans, and so on. In some clinical cases, the physician will ask an orthopedic surgeon to perform a detailed examination of the patient’s joints and to collect samples of synovium or joint fluid.

In most clinical cases, a patient who is diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis will be treated with a combination of drugs, exercise and physical therapy. In the most severe cases, the patient may require corticosteroid injections (that are administered into his or her joint); surgery is also an option. With the help of your health care providers (physical therapist, rheumatologist, primary physician), you will find out what is the best therapy option that should help your child in the best way.

The therapy against Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis aims to relieve the unpleasant symptoms and / or signs of this medical condition, to prevent or at least slow down the joint destruction, to restore function and use to the patient’s joints, and so on. The intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (commonly abbreviated as NSAIDs) – such as Advil, Motrin, and so on – is able to help the patient manage some of his or her unpleasant symptoms (pain, inflammation) as they limit the amounts of harmful chemicals that the organism’s immune system releases. If a therapy with such medicines has proven to be ineffective, the intake of Methotrexate ought to be considered.

An adequate physical therapy program is crucial in the therapy against any type of arthritis (including Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis). Your child’s physical therapist will recommend a set of exercises that you child will have to perform on a regular basis. They aim to help the patient’s joints build endurance and strength. This therapy may sometimes be quite painful. However, it is important to stick to the regular program of exercises in order to keep the patient’s muscles healthy and strong. This type of exercise helps maintain a minimal range of motion. Such physical programs should be maintained both at school and at home. Bicycling is considered quite helpful. So is swimming and walking. However, it is very important to make sure that your child has warmed up his or her muscles (has stretched) before performing an exercise routine. We recommend all parents to convert the unpleasant exercising routines in enthusiastic family activities.