Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease which affects children, the cause of which still remains a mystery to many doctors and researchers. Even though it is not a hereditary disorder there are chances that those hereditary factors can influence a child of getting it. In this disease there is inflammation in the joints along with pain and immobility. Rashes may occur along with fever.

A doctor’s or physician’s diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is based entirely on the symptoms which the child exhibits and after a thorough physical examination. A single definitive laboratory test cannot be used to diagnose the disease though there are some blood tests which can proof useful. X-Ray studies may show that there are certain changes in the formation of the bones and joints to indicate juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in the child.

The doctor is able to make an assessment of the extent of the disease only after conducting a series of tests so that he or she can come to a conclusion. This is why diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is normally made after complete scrutiny of all the symptoms in the child. It is often difficult for the doctor to diagnose this disease as there are many other diseases which also have similar symptoms with no one particular test that can diagnose it. Most doctors come to a conclusion that the child is indeed suffering from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis only after they find that the children have the symptoms like rashes, swelling or joint pain, fever and inflammation for a persistent period. The main diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is however inflammation of the joints for a period of over six weeks. It is then that the doctor concludes that the child indeed is suffering from this disease and refers the child to a pediatric rheumatologist.

The rheumatologist then starts his or her assessment after conducting a series of tests for the diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. They will also go through the child’s medical history to look for important clues and orders a series of blood tests and X-rays.
While X-rays are done to look out for any damage to the bones in the joints, blood tests help to reveal antibodies that may be causing the disease. A complete blood count test is done to look for any abnormalities in the cells. A bone scan, a test for autoimmunity, bone marrow examination and blood culture tests are performed as part of diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Using all these test results the doctor then makes an assessment of the disease to prescribe medication and therapy.