Improved
6112 HealthChanged
3786 LivesSaved
3568 Lives1 lives impacted in the last 24 hrs Learn More
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
After watching a recent segment on 60 Minutes about undiagnosed illnesses, I became extremely interested in juvenile arthritis and how arthritis affects children under the age of 16.
From the information researched, juvenile arthritis is more prevalent than you think.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, “Juvenile arthritis is one of the most common childhood diseases in the United States and approximately 294,000 children under the age of 18 are affected by pediatric arthritis and rheumatologic conditions.”
Symptoms of juvenile arthritis may include:
• Altered growth of bone and joints leading to short stature
• Joint contracture, resulting from holding a painful joint in a flexed position for an extended period
• Pain, swelling, tenderness and stiffness of joints, causing limited range of motion
• Damage to joint cartilage and bone leading to joint deformity and impaired use of the joint
There are several types of juvenile arthritis. According to Arthritis Today magazine these types of JA include:
• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
• Oligoarthritis
• Polyarthritis
• Systemic
• Enthesitis-related
• Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis
According to Arthritis Today Magazine, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) was once the most common term used to diagnose juvenile arthritis. Also, the magazine stated, “It’s believed that only about 10 percent of children have a disease that closely mirrors rheumatoid arthritis in adults.”
Today, medical experts have reclassified JRA with the name Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis which is also known as JIA.
The magazine continues to clarify the definition of polyarthritis and pauciarticular arthritis, “Children with arthritis in relatively few joints, four or less, were described as having pauciarticular arthritis. Children with a larger number of involved joints were diagnosed with the polyarticular form.”
A diagnosis for juvenile arthritis is determined by “the number of joints affected during those first six months.”
Juvenile arthritis is not contagious and there is no scientific evidence that allergies, toxins or food play a role on the onset of the disease.
If you believe your youngling may have juvenile arthritis, contact a pediatric rheumatologist. There is no known cure for juvenile arthritis and the main goal of treatment is to manage the symptoms of the disease.
The Arthritis Foundation’s website stated the following are part of managed care treatment for juvenile arthritis:
• Medication, physical activity, physical and/or occupational therapy, education, eye care, dental care and proper nutrition are the recommended treatment plans for children.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the first line of medication used in juvenile arthritis to help control pain and inflammation (swelling).
• Corticosteroids such as prednisone can be taken orally to relieve inflammation or injected into joints that are inflamed.
• Biologic response modifiers (BRMs) such as anti-TNF drugs, are a class of drugs that inhibit proteins called cytokines. They must be injected under the skin or given as an infusion in the vein.
• Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs such as methotrexate are often used in conjunction with NSAIDs to treat joint inflammation and reduce the risk of bone and cartilage damage.
References:
Juvenile Arthritis Facts. Arthritis Foundation | Symptoms Treatments | Prevention Tips | Pain Relief Advice. Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://www.arthritis.org/ja-fact-sheet.php
Part, B. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis | Polyarthritis | Arthritis Today. Arthritis | Arthritis Today Magazine | Arthritis Foundation. Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://www.arthritistoday.org/conditions/juvenile-arthritis/all-about-ja/what-is-juvenile-arthritis.php
Reviewed May 24, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith
Add a CommentComments
There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!