Causes And Symptoms Of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or JRA is an arthritic condition specifically in children but with a lot of similarities with the condition that afflicts adults. There are cases of short term and long term juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Short term cases may last just a few months and then disappear altogether while long term cases may last well into adulthood and turn to rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in adults are somewhat similar to those in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis but there are also some differences which set these two apart. There are basically three different types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, namely oligoarticular JRA, which affects four or less joints in the child's body, polyarticular JRA, which affects five or more joints in the body and usually more common in girls than boys and the last kind, which is systemic JRA, which has similar symptoms to adult rheumatoid arthritis.

Symptoms Of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is basically due to the white blood cells (the body's auto immune system) getting confused regarding which cells to attack and protect the body from. The result of this confusion or mixed signals is the white blood cells attacking joint tissues and other tissues close to it. This makes the tissues around the joints inflamed because there is an over production of synovial fluid which causes tenderness, redness and some degree of pain in the affected areas. Swelling and tenderness is an expected outcome of the condition and the swelling may last for several hours to some days. Areas commonly affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are the knees, fingers and wrists but this does not mean that other joints are excluded from the effects of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Another common symptom of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the appearance of rashes. Rashes may appear in one area and then eventually disappear only to crop up in another area. The interval of the appearance and disappearance of the rashes will depend on the degree of the condition in the child. Elevated fevers which may actually spike during nighttime may be a symptom of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis but there are so many conditions that manifest spiking fever at night that this may not be a conclusive symptom unless other symptoms are also present. It may be helpful to note that most of the fevers from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may also disappear suddenly which is not a common occurrence unless medication is given. Still, it is not wise to base the diagnosis on this symptom alone.

• Types Of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
  
  Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a condition highly similar in symptoms to arthritis in adults. This condition is centered specifically on children about six months to sixteen years old.
• Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
  
  Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a condition which primarily affects the joints of a child. This condition is alternately called Still's Disease by some experts when it s present in adults.
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
  
  Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is an arthritis condition that occurs in children who are prone to this disease. While it is fast becoming a common disease among children, the cause of this condition has no definitive roots as of yet.
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
  
  Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a form of arthritis in children that may be similar to that of adults. The condition has many different symptoms that go with whatever type of juvenile arthritis may plague the child.
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Support
  
  Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a childhood condition that generally affects children prone to this sickness around the age of six months to sixteen years of age. This condition is somewhat mystifying in the sense that there is no concrete cause as of this very day.
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
  
  Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that occurs specifically in children. The fact that children are the main victims of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis makes the need for early juvenile rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis all the more important.