Rheumatoid Arthritis

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Arthritis is not limited to just senior citizens. In fact, there is a specific type of arthritis that actually targets children. This type of arthritis is known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, (also known as JRA). With juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, children as young as six weeks and as old as 16 years develop a condition in which their white blood cells turn on them. This is because instead of attacking organisms that are invading the body, they instead attack the lining between the joints of the bone. This results in inflammation, which causes pain and discomfort to the child or teenager. Additionally, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can be emotionally confusing for both parents and children, since young people are expected to not have arthritis. For children, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis means they can't go out and play like normal children. For parents, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis means having to watch their child suffer through an illness that does not have an official cure.

Three forms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis exist. These include: pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. With pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, the large joints such as the knees become affected. This is the most common type when it comes to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis cases. Next, there is polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. With this condition five or more small joints are affected, such as the joints found in the hands or the feet. Lastly, with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, (which is also known as Still's disease), the condition affects the joints and the internal organs. It is very serious, though rare in the world of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Symptoms for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are relatively the same for each type. Basically, there's joint pain, joint swelling, fever, eye inflammation, rashes and lymph node swelling. The reason that many of these symptoms are similar to what one has when they are seriously ill is because often times there is an underlying infection that the white blood cells may have originally been trying to fight.

So, if a child does exhibit the symptoms for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, what do doctors do to officially diagnose it? One form of diagnosis involves a blood test. With a blood test, doctors check to see how many red blood cells or how many antibodies are in the blood. If the numbers are abnormal, they may suspect juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Another test could involve evaluating some of the fluid around the joints by extracting a little bit of it. Finally, there's imaging, where doctors try to get a visual of how the joints look.

In conclusion, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is an unfortunate condition, yet one that parents should be aware of. However, just because a child has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis doesn't mean their lives have to be over. True, there isn't a cure for a condition, but with drugs, diet and appropriate exercising, a child can still have a normal, happy and healthy life. Prognosis can be even better if a child is placed into physical therapy, to help build up joints that may have become severely damaged due to the condition.

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