subject: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis [print this page] Juvenile arthritis or formerly called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) is described in children under the age of 16. The word rheumatoid was dropped from the name because it is a misnomer giving people the idea that the disease process is much like the adult Rheumatoid Arthritis.
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.
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.
Each of the three types of juvenile arthritis are autoimmune diseases. What this means is that the child's body is confusing its own cells and tissues as a threat. This causes the body (or more specifically its immune system) to attack the healthy tissues and cells. It is believed that juvenile arthritis can develop due to both environmental and genetic factors.
Diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis by your child's doctor will usually begin with a detailed medical history and physical examination. The doctor may take X-rays and perform blood tests to be able to differentiate your child's JRA symptoms from other conditions that produce similar symptoms.
The symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis can differ, but mainly they include some illness such as fever. The child will go through periods where they feel fine and then they will suddenly come down with an illness again. So if your child is frequently becoming ill and if they are in pain, then it is likely that they are suffering with Juvenile Arthritis.
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.
The three types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are autoimmune diseases. In other terms, the child's body mistakes in assorting some of its own cells and tissues as alien. The outcomes are that, the child's body immune system begins to attack the healthy cells and tissues.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a collective disease. The three identified forms are pauciarticular, polyarticular and systemic. In pouciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a child may suffer from inflammation in few joints such as the knee and shoulder. If it is polyarticular, then many joints get inflamed simultaneously, for example knees, wrists, elbows, and so on.
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.
