What is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis?

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a childhood disease that causes inflamed, swollen joints. This makes joints stiff and painful.

Unlike adults with rheumatoid arthritis, many children with the disease grow out of it after they get treatment. Others will need ongoing treatment as adults.

There are three types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

• Pauciarticular is the most common and mildest type. Your child may have pain in 1 to 4 joints, such as the knees, ankles, fingers, toes, wrists, elbows, or hips.
• Polyarticular is more severe. It affects more joints and tends to get worse over time. It often begins in the knees and hips.
• Systemic is the least common type. But it can be the most serious. It causes pain in many joints and can also spread to organs.

What causes juvenile rheumatoid arthritis?

Doctors don't really know what causes the disease. But there are a number of things that they think can lead to it. These things include:

• An immune system that is too active and attacks joint tissues.
• Viruses or other infections that cause the immune system to attack joint tissues.
• Having a certain gene that makes the immune system more likely to attack joint tissues.

What are the symptoms?

Children can have one or many symptoms, such as:

• Joint pain.
• Joint swelling.
• Joint stiffness.
• Trouble sleeping.
• Problems walking.

In some cases these symptoms can be mild and hard for you to see. A young child may be more cranky than normal or may go back to crawling after he or she has started walking. You may notice that your child feels stiff in the morning or has trouble walking.

Children with this disease can also get inflammatory eye disease. This can lead to blindness if it’s not treated. Eye disease often has no symptoms before vision loss occurs. That’s why it’s important for your child to have regular eye exams with an ophthalmologist. Treatment can begin before your child has long-lasting vision problems.

How is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask questions about your child’s symptoms and past health and will do a physical exam. Your child may also have blood tests and a urine test to look for signs of the disease. If your child has the disease, these tests can help your doctor find out which type it is.

How is it treated?

Your child’s treatment will be based on the type of arthritis he or she has and how serious it is. The most common treatment includes medicines to reduce pain and swelling (NSAIDs), along with physical therapy. Your child may also get shots of steroid medicine into a joint to relieve swelling and pain.