Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

As difficult as it is for adults to suffer with arthritis, it's even more difficult for young people and children to suffer from this disease. However, there is a special form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects thousands of young people and children.

It's called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This disease can strike the young anywhere from about the age of six months to 16 years. Just like regular adult rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a disease related to an immune deficiency syndrome. The body produces antibodies attacking its own joints. Although it has not yet been discovered by science the actual cause of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, this disease probably is related to the body being unable to tell the difference between its own tissues and foreign invaders.

Foreign invaders include viruses and bacteria.  The body is overaggressively defending itself against disease and even turns on its own tissues.

There are three primary forms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. They are polyarticular, pauciaticular, and systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed when swelling is present in at least five joints throughout the body. Most of the affected joints are those described as weight bearing joints, which include joints in the hands, neck, hips, knees, and ankles. Weight bearing joints are those that receive the brunt of the pressure and weight that is endured by the body. The second form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is described as pauciarticular. Pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is described as a form of the disease that tends to affect four or less joints. Symptoms of pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis include selling, stiffness, discomfort or severe pain around the afflicted joints.

Most often, pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints of the wrist and knee. One distinguishing feature of pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is that it may also affect the eyes. The iris may become inflamed due to this form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Indeed, ophthalmologists are often among the first to diagnose cases of many cases of pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis because their work allows them to detect early signs of the diseases. The third form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is described as systematic. Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis refers to the fact that the disease may sometimes affect the patient's whole body. Children afflicted with systematic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may suffer from fevers, rashes, and the requisite feelings of joint stiffness and overall pain and discomfort. Other symptoms that are specific to the systematic form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis include the enlargement of the lymph nodes and the spleen.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis treatment usually consists of an aggressive treatment of NSAIDs class drugs. These are non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs that are commonly used to treat each juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptom . Regular physical activity is also prescribed and is important in order for the patient to retain their natural range of motion and flexibility, particularly in the synovial joints. High impact, weight bearing exercises like tennis and running, however, should be avoided because these may cause permanent joint damage and should be avoided in favor of a helpful arthritis juvenile rheumatoid treatment.

Scientists have discovered some ways of combating this disease of the young and hopefully In the future more help will be coming from the medical community.