When a child is stricken with a swollen joint along with high fever and a rash which cannot be explained make sure that you seek a doctor’s help immediately. Your doctor will tell you that your child is suffering from Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis or JRA as it is commonly known. This disease is found to occur in children below the age of 16 and symptoms are inflammation of the joints which causes redness, warmth and swelling along with their turning sore with tremendous pain causing immobility at times. The main symptoms which children who suffer from this disease exhibit are pain in the joints, joint swelling, stiffness in joints, and disturbance in sleeping patterns and have trouble walking.
There is severe swelling, stiffness and unbearable pain in almost all joints in the child. In some cases the iris of the child can also be affected. There are three types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis which are polyarticular arthritis, pauciarticular arthritis and systemic arthritis which can affect children especially juveniles. Pauciarticular is one of the most common types of arthritic problem to occur in children while in polyarticular arthritis which is the more severe form the swelling begins often at the knees and hips and gets worse with time. But the most serious type which is uncommon is systemic arthritis where most of the joints are affected and the swelling can even affect the organs in the body.
The causes of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis have been puzzling doctors all over the world to a great extent. But they are of the opinion that a number of factors contribute to its appearance. Doctors believe that an active immune system. JRA is also referred to as idiopathic arthritis in children and best described as an autoimmune disease. In this disorder the white blood cells are unable to distinguish between healthy cells already present in the body  and foreign substances which attack the body’s immune system like viruses and bacteria. The white blood corpuscle which are supposed to fight anti bodies like viruses and bacteria which invade the body’s immune system forget their role and instead begin to attack the body’s tissues causing a disorder in the child called auto immune disorder. The immune system when attacked by these harmful substances instead of helping to protect instead begins to releases chemical substances which go about destroying healthy joint tissues causing pain and inflammation. Doctors also believe that having a certain gene in the child’s body can also contribute to the cause of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.
