Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects children below the age of 17. It is known to cause an inflammation and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, bones, joints and nerves. Around 285,000 children in USA suffer from some type of arthritis. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common kind of arthritis that affects children and is usually detected between the ages of 2 and 16.Symptoms of this disease may appear and reappear periodically.  JRA typically affects the joints and the tissues surrounding it. However, it can also affect other organs of the body like the heart, eyes, liver and lungs. In some cases, this form of juvenile arthritis is known to cause serious joint damage and stunted growth. Juvenile rheumatoid is also known as chronic polyarthritis JRA, Still’s disease and Juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

The exact causes of Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are known as of now, but a lot of research is being expended on it. The fact that this form of arthritis affects children shatters the old myth that arthritis is an old person’s ailment. JRA is characterized by abnormalities of the immune system. The immune system releases certain chemicals in order to combat the germs and other such foreign bodies. When the immune system doesn’t function properly, the distinction between the germs and the body’s own tissues becomes difficult. This results in the immune system mounting an attack and releasing chemicals that actually harm the healthy tissues of the body. Thus, JRA is categorized as an auto immune disease. However, JRA is not known to be contagious. The disease will not be transmitted from patient to patient as in the case of many other diseases.

Causes of Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can be a mix of both heredity and environment factors. Both these aspects seem to play a vital role in affecting patients. It may be a case of virus or bacterium that triggers the development of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in children. However, it is noted that such children have certain genetic profiles that possibly make them vulnerable to arthritis. These are considered genetic markers for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. But, not all the children who possess these markers are likely to get juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. In some cases, children who do not have such markers can also develop juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. In any case, the probable causes have been observed but no strong conclusion has been drawn out of the extensive research conducted on this subject.