Juvenile chronic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and childhood arthritis are all terms that are used to describe juvenile arthritis. Moreover, based on symptoms and joints affected there are five additional subsets. At one time juvenile arthritis was called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The term rheumatoid gave the wrong impression that this condition is related to rheumatoid arthritis that affects adults. Therefore, the term rheumatoid was taken out.
Different from Adult Arthritis
When most people think of arthritis, they are under the impression that it affects the eldery only. However, little do most people know that children and even babies are affected by juvenile arthritis. In fact, today there are about three hundred thousand young children in the United States that are suffering from juvenile arthritis.
Despite the prevalance of this condition, the exact cause is still unknown. What is known is that adult arthritis and juvenile arthritis have two major differences. Children affected by arthritis can outgrow the condition as they grow older, and it is harder to diagnose juvenile arthritis than is the case with adult arthritis. Second, it is easier to diagnose adult arthritis than juvenile arthritis.
Juvenile chronic arthritis can be characterized as a condition that causes inflammation of the joints, and is diagnosed to children under the age of sixteen. The problems the are experienced by adults can certainly affect children as well.
As mentioned, the exact cause is not exactly known of juvenile arthritis but one theory is that it is an autoimmune disease. Some of the symptoms include, but are not limited to, persistent inflammation of the joints, pain, and stiffness that gets worse in the morning or after sleeping. The pain felt can limit the patient’s range of movement in their affected joints, though normally children do not complain about pain.
Since no test is available that will directly prove that he or she has juvenile arthritis, diagnoses can be a challenge. Therefore, thorough examination must be done in regards to stiffness of the joints when waking up and range of motion. The child also showing reluctance to use a particular limb can lead the doctor to suspect that it is an arthritis problem. The person best suited to treat juvenile arthritis is a pediatrician, family doctor. or any other primary care medical professional.
A common type of arthritis in children is juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which is very persistent and can affect the entire body. Idiopathic is a term that refers to a condition that does not have a known cause, while juvenile of course refers to anyone who has not reached sixteen years old. Also, this form of arthritis is very different to the kind of arthritis that affects adults.
See Also: A look at systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
