In children, the most common type of arthritis is Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). Children under the age of 16 can be affected. JRA could be a mild problem or it could progress to a chronic stage that can cause inflammation to the joints.
Juvenile arthritis has three types based on the symptoms. All the types of Juvenile rheumatoid Arthritis involve inflammation of the joint, joint damage and joint contracture.
Joint stiffness is a common problem of children with JRA. This usually happens after resting of the joints. There are some who also report muscle weakness.
The type of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is based on the symptoms exhibited during the first six months of the condition. Classifying the type of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis includes determining the number of joints affected, the symptoms and the antibodies involved.
Systemic onset type: Twenty percent of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis falls under this type. Fever and light skin rash are the common symptoms of this Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. This type can affect the liver, spleen, heart and other internal organs. There could be swelling, fever, inflammation, rash and pain at or near the joints.
Pauciarticular onset disease: This comprises 50 percent of the cases of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. The word “pauciarticular” implies that four or less joints are involved. This affects the elbows, knees and the other larger joints. This usually occurs in girls below eight years old.
It is interesting to note that Pauciarticular onset disease may lead to eye disease as recorded in 30 percent of the cases of this JRA. It is necessary to see an ophthalmologist in order to prevent this situation.
Polyarticular disease: 30 percent of children with Juvenile rheumatoid Arthritis have this type. This affects the bones in the hands, feet and other small joints. In most cases, it affects the joints on each side of the body. This is characterized by pain or swelling in at least five joints in the body.