Arthritis Cure Information and Tips

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

If a child under the age of 16 complaints about joints pain for more than six weeks most probably is suffering from this chronic disease called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis commonly known as JRA. The name appears to be similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis found in adults but the two are not same. JRA does not damage bones so fast as Rheumatoid Arthritis that affect older people.

Persistent Joint swelling, pain and stiffness are the most common symptoms of JRA. This pain limits the movement of the affected joint and is worse in the mornings or after long rest. JRA commonly affects knee, hands and feet joints. Child shows limping in the morning while walking in the beginning because of the affected knee joints. Some children also develop high fever and light skin rash, which come and go in cyclic fashion. In certain severe cases JRA produce serious joint and tissue damage and may cause problems in bone development and overall growth.

Most severe complication seen in JRA is eye inflammation. This appears in children suffering with pauciarticular JRA. Pauciarticular means 4 or fewer joints are affected. This type of JRA is most common in children; it usually affects large joints like knees. This typically affects girls under the age of 8.

When 5 or more joints of a child are affected, it is termed as polyarticular JRA. This type is found among 30% of all JRA children. Polyarticular JRA attacks small joints like hands and feet symmetrically, meaning both hands or both feet are affected in this disease.

Systematic form of JRA is characterized by joint swelling, fever, skin rash, and some times it even affects internal organs like heart, spleen, liver and lymph nodes. Children suffering with systematic JRA develop severe arthritis by the time they reach adulthood.

JRA is regarded as autoimmune disorder as the immune system of a body attacks itself destroying the cartilage, muscle tissue, and bones. The result is inflammation characterized by redness, heat, pain and swelling. Exact cause for JRA is still not clear, though scientists’ suspects its root causes could be genetic makeup or it may also develop due to some external bacterial or viral attack.