Arthritis has always been erroneously thought of as a condition that affects the elderly. Unfortunately, it does affect the children as well. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis most commonly affects children. Though it is generally mild, causing hardly any problems, in severe cases it causes damage to the joints and the tissues. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation of the joints, stiff and bent joints, damage to the joints, and change in the growth. As is the case of Ankylosing Spondylitis, children suffering from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis also suffer from stiffness of the joints in the morning on waking up, or after a prolonged period of rest.

However, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis too, affects different children differently, and not all children may experience all these symptoms. Even the degree of severity of a particular symptom may vary from children to children. Even in the case of the same child, the symptoms may vary from one day to another.

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis – Its Types

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis cannot be diagnosed by any single test. A series of tests may be required to diagnose this form of arthritis and only after persistent presence of symptoms for at least 6 weeks, to rule out other possible medical conditions. A pediatric rheumatologist is an expert who specializes in arthritis in children, and may be required to treat children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

There are three major types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and it usually takes 6 months to determine the type a child suffers from. These three types are:

Pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Systemic onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects a few joints, as little as four, or less. Half the children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis have this type of arthritis, and usually the joints of the knees, ankles, and elbows are affected. Joints of the wrists, spine and finger or toe joints are rarely, if at all, affected. It normally affects joints on one side of the body and not both sides.

One particular type of Pauciarticular arthritis affects girls less than seven years of age, and in 33 percent of the cases inflames the eye. The other type affects boys eight years old and older, and affects the sacroiliac joints, ankles, hips, and knees, among others. They may suffer from redness and pain in the eyes, as well.

Polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects five joints or more. It affects the girls more than boys, and mainly teenagers. This type normally affects the hands and the finger joints, but can also affect the neck, jaw, hips, knees, and ankles. If affecting the spine, the child may find it difficult to turn the head due to stiffness in the neck.

Systemic onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the least common but affects both boys and girls alike. It is associated with inflammation of the internal organs. Symptoms may include daily fever as high as 103 degree and above, lasting for weeks or months. Inflammation and joint pain may, or may not, accompany the fever initially, but may appear months later.

Veronika Lepinski is the author of Specialist Arthritis, a trusted source of information about rheumatoid arthritis & treatments.

Source: www.isnare.com