Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
(Part 2)
Symptoms of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
The most common signs and symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are:
• Pain. While your child might not complain of joint pain, you may notice that he or she limps — especially first thing in the morning or after a nap.
• Swelling. Joint swelling is common but is often first noticed in larger joints such as the knee.
• Stiffness. You might notice that your child appears clumsier than usual, particularly in the morning or after naps.
• Fever, swollen lymph nodes and rash. In some cases, high fever, swollen lymph nodes or a rash on the trunk may occur — which is usually worse in the evenings.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can affect one joint or many. There are several different subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, but the main ones are systemic, oligoarticular and polyarticular. Which type your child has depends on symptoms, the number of joints affected, and if a fever and rashes are prominent features.
Like other forms of arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis is characterized by times when symptoms flare up and times when symptoms may be minimal.
The Most Common Types of JA Include:
• Juvenile rheumatoid / idiopathic arthritis. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common form of juvenile arthritis and includes six types: oligoarthritis, polyarthritis, systemic, enthesitis-related, juvenile psoriatic arthritis and undifferentiated.
• Juvenile myositis. An inflammatory disease that causes muscle weakness. There are two types: juvenile polymyositis and juvenile dermatomyositis, which also causes rash on the eyelids and knuckles.
• Juvenile lupus. An autoimmune disease that can affect the joints, skin, internal organs (i.e. heart, kidneys, lungs) and other areas of the body. The most common form is systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE.
• Juvenile scleroderma. Scleroderma, which literally means “hard skin,” describes a group of conditions that cause the skin to tighten and harden.
• Vasculitis. This type of disease causes inflammation of the blood vessels, which can lead to heart complications. Kawasaki disease and Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HCP) are the most common kinds in kids and teens.
• Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that can cause widespread muscle pain and stiffness, along with fatigue, disrupted sleep and other symptoms. It is more common in girls but rarely diagnosed before puberty.
When to See a Doctor
Take your child to the doctor if he or she has joint pain, swelling or stiffness for more than a week — especially if he or she also has a fever.
Causes
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own cells and tissues. It’s not known why this happens, but both heredity and environment seem to play a role.
Risk Factors
Some forms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are more common in girls. (To be continued)