Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Basic Understanding

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As the name implies, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a type of arthritis that primarily affects the young. Children as young as six months can be diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. In the United States, approximately 75,000 young people have this debilitating condition.

Like rheumatoid arthritis in adults, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is essentially an autoimmune disease. This is a syndrome whereby the body produces antibodies that attack its own joint tissues. Currently, medical researchers have not determined that exact cause of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. However, there are several theories as to how juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can happen.

The most popular hypothesis is that juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the inability of the body to differentiate between its own tissue and foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria. Ironically, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may actually be the result of the effort of the body to defend itself against disease.

There are three categories of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: polyarticular, pauciaticular, and systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. These three categories have different symptoms and require different appropriate treatment.

Polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis occurs when swelling is present in at least five joints throughout the body. Most of the affected joints are those described as weight bearing joints, which include joints in the hands, neck, hips, knees, and ankles. Weight bearing joints are those that receive the brunt of the pressure and weight that is endured by the body.

Pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis refers to a form of the disease that tends to affect four or less joints. Pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include selling, stiffness, discomfort or severe pain around the afflicted joints. Most often, pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints of the wrist and knee. A key distinguishing feature of pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is that it may also affect the eyes. The iris may become inflamed. In most cases, ophthalmologists are often among the first to diagnose cases of pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis refers to the fact that the disease may sometimes affect the whole body. This happens when the immune system becomes weakened by the disease. Children afflicted with systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may experience fevers, rashes, in addition to the feelings of joint stiffness and overall pain and discomfort. Other symptoms that are specific to the systematic form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis include the enlargement of the lymph nodes and the spleen.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis treatment usually involves the use of NSAIDs class drugs. These are non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs that are often prescribed to treat the symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Those who are afflicted are also encouraged to undertake appropriate exercise as it is important to retain their natural range of motion and flexibility, particularly in the synovial joints. In cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, high impact and weight bearing sports like tennis and running are best avoided.

Sandra Kim Leong writes on common symptoms for rheumatoid arthritis. Her site contains information and resources on arthritis treatment, arthritis symptoms and diet for arthritis. Please visit her blog at http://www.rheumatoid-arthritis-relief.com for more updates