LET ME SHARE A LITTLE

ABOUT

JUVENILE RHEUMATOID
ATHRITIS
 WHAT IS JUVENILE
RHEUMATOID ATHRITIS?
IS A FORM OF ARTHRITIS IN CHILDREN. ARTHRITIS CAUSES JOINT
SWELLING (INFLAMMATION) AND JOINT STIFFNESS. JRA IS
ARTHRITIS THAT AFFECTS ONE OR MORE JOINTS FOR AT LEAST 6
WEEKS IN A CHILD AGE 16 OR YOUNGER. UNLIKE ADULT
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, WHICH IS ONGOING (CHRONIC) AND
LASTS A LIFETIME, CHILDREN OFTEN OUTGROW THE DISEASE CAN
AFFECT BONE DEVELOPMENT IN A GROWING CHILD.
 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
JUVENILE ARTHRITIS?

SYSTEMIC ARTHRITIS
.
ALSO KNOWN AS STILL'S DISEASE, AFFECTS THE ENTIRE
BODY AND INTERNAL ORGANS, CAUSING HIGH
FEVER AND RASH IN BOYS AND GIRLS, WITH NO
VISIBLE EFFECTS.
 OLIGO ARTHRITIS
AFFECTS FEWER THAN FIVE JOINTS IN THE FIRST SIX
MONTHS, PRIMARILY THE KNEE, ANKLE, AND WRIST. IT'S
MORE COMMON IN GIRLS AND OFTEN OUTGROWS BY
ADULTHOOD.

POLY ARTHRITIS
THIS TYPE OF ARTHRITIS, MORE COMMON IN GIRLS,
AFFECTS FIVE OR MORE JOINTS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS,
AFFECTING THE JAW, NECK, HANDS, AND FEET,
RESEMBLING ADULT ARTHRITIS.
 PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS
CHILDREN WITH ARTHRITIS AND PSORIASIS OFTEN
DEVELOP PITTED FINGERNAILS, WITH THE CONDITION
POTENTIALLY OCCURRING YEARS BEFORE THE OTHER
PART OF THE DISEASE.

ENTHESITIS-RELATED ARTHRITIS
PRIMARILY AFFECTING BOYS OVER 8 YEARS OLD, OFTEN
INHERITED FROM THEIR MALE RELATIVES, AFFECTING THE
SPINE, HIPS, EYES, AND ENTHESES.
CAUSES

A DISEASE TRIGGERED BY THE BODY'S IMMUNE

SYSTEM ATTACKING HEALTHY CELLS AND
TISSUES CAN BE INHERITED THROUGH GENES
AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS.
SIGN AND SYMPTOMS

You might notice that your child appears clumsier than usual, particularly in the morning
SIGN or after naps. Fever, swollen lymph nodes and rash. In some cases, high fever, swollen
lymph nodes or a rash on the trunk may occur which is usually worse in the evenings.

Swollen, stiff, and painful joints in the knees, hands, feet, ankles, shoulders, elbows, or other joints, often
in the morning or after a nap
Eye inflammation
Warmth and redness in a joint
Less ability to use one or more joints
SYMPTOMS Fatigue
Decreased appetite, poor weight gain, and slow growth
High fever and rash (in systemic JRA)
Swollen lymph nodes (in systemic JRA)
HOW IS JUVENILE
ARTHRITIS DIAGNOSED?
JUVENILE ARTHRITIS DIAGNOSIS IS CHALLENGING DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF A
SPECIFIC TEST, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO EXCLUDE OTHER CONDITIONS THAT
MAY CAUSE SIMILAR SYMPTOMS. A DOCTOR TYPICALLY BEGINS WITH A
COMPLETE MEDICAL HISTORY AND EXAM, FOLLOWED BY ADDITIONAL TESTS
SUCH AS BLOOD COUNT, LAB TESTS, X-RAYS, IMAGING TESTS, BLOOD CULTURE,
VIRUSES, LYME DISEASE, BONE MARROW EXAM, ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION
RATE, RHEUMATOID FACTOR TEST, ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODY TEST, BONE SCAN,
JOINT FLUID AND SYNOVIAL TISSUE SAMPLING, AND ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY.
THESE TESTS HELP DETERMINE THE TYPE OF ARTHRITIS AND ITS POTENTIAL
COMPLICATIONS.
THE DRUGS MAY BE USED TO TREAT
JUVENILE ARTHRITIS:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to treat pain and
swelling.

Slow-acting anti-rheumatic drugs (SAARDs) are used to treat pain and swelling over
time and usually take several weeks or more to work.

Corticosteroids are used to treat pain and swelling, often administered as injections or
oral, but are generally avoided in children due to potential adverse side effects.

Antimetabolites are a type of drug that is an aggressive therapy aimed at helping reduce
further joint damage and preserve joint function.