Juvenile Arthritis Kids Get It Too

Does arthritis happen in juvenile?
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month. It is a common misconception that only "old" people are afflicted with arthritis. But it is not so.

A well developed immune system ensures a child's fine fettle. While arthritis helps fight ailments, unfortunately it is a component yet to flourish in the tiny ones, grappling varied infections to form a memory of them and thereafter ultimately combats it. On the flip side, rather than fighting the foreign particles if the immune responses form antibodies against its own body cells and tissues (antigens), it brings in a completely different story. A situation, where measures to suppress the otherwise boosted immunity, are sought for.

Juvenile arthritis (JA) is a broad term used to describe autoimmune joint inflammations leading to stiffness, warmth, pain and mobility loss of the affected joints. Termed as pediatric rheumatic disease by some, it generally develops in children below the age of 16 years and is reported to have a prevalence of 0.07 to 4.01 per 1000 children. The utter dismay here, is the idiopathic nature of the disease with sparseness in concrete knowledge about its etiology.

What are the types of Juvenile Arthritis?
Much has been researched to pin point the causal agents and narrowed down the different forms by which Juvenile Arthritis afflicts the children. Based on the clinical presentation and laboratory findings, the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) listed seven categories of Juvenile Arthritis. Standing together are the classifications of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Although repeated efforts are still being put by different global bodies to bring in a more precise classification of Juvenile Arthritis that could create a uniformity in the universal guidelines. Below tabulation puts forth the three different systems of categorizing Juvenile Arthritis in brief.

What are the signs and Symptoms Indicative of Juvenile Arthritis?
An illness with such a vast clinical presentation is almost impossible to define by a set of symptoms. Even though there are many signs indicative of Juvenile Arthritis, it is an array of clinical features and laboratory as well as radiological findings that actually indicate the condition. The most common signs, in unison or sometimes singly, pointing towards this autoimmune disorder are as under.

Fever Commonest and initial sign which is generally expected to be quotidian, with spikes of 2 39C, one or two times a day, particularly rising in the evening .

Musculoskeletal Symptoms The symptom following fever is arthralgia (joint pain) that precedes arthritis. Synovial cyst formation and lymphedema may simultaneously appear in some cases.

Rash Though found to be present since the disease was mentioned for the first time, its importance as a unique symptom was marked much later. It can be differentiated from other rashes by its evanescent, bright salmon pink color, migratory and widespread nature. The rashes usually limit to the trunk and proximal extremities with the involvement of armpit and groin areas, however might as well sometimes develop on the face, palms and soles.

Lymphadenopathy Generalized Lymphadeno-pathy i.e. the abnormality in size, shape or number of lymph nodes.

Hepatosplenomegaly Enlarge ment of the liver and or the spleen.

Serositis Inflammation of the serous membranes of the viscera. Usually pericarditis is observed, but pleuritis and peritonitis can as well occur in rare cases.

What are 3 risk factors of arthritis in kids?
Lack of breast feeding
Antenatal exposure to tobacco Smoking
Early life infections with Juvenile Arthritis

How do you diagnose arthritis in children?
A combined approach of clinical examination aided by laboratory findings and radiological features is adopted to identify the onset of Juvenile Arthritis at a primitive stage. Owing to the nonspecific presentation, presence of certain parameters, as under, arise some amount of suspicion.
Rheumatoid factor immuno globulins
Cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies
Antinuclear antibodies
However, no single test can be considered conclusive. Hence, the differential diagnosis of Juvenile Arthritis is quite tricky, requiring careful physical examination, knowledge on family and medical history along with vigilant screening.

How do you manage Juvenile Arthritis?
The degree of severity of Juvenile Arthritis may range from growth retardation, attack on the immune system by macrophages to life threatening multi-organ failure the condition can deteriorate to cost one's life. Emergence of newer drugs and treatment modules has minimized sequelae and improvised treatment outcome. All in all, team of specialists in the various medical fields can work in coordination to plan and manage the course of disease, thereby enhancing quality of life of the affected children.

Pain might be foisted on the little ones but are destined to fight and overpower it