Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is the most common type of arthritis in children. It is a chronic disorder of joints causing pain and inflammation of joints. As JRA is an autoimmune disorder, a misleading response by the immune system of body may be a main cause of this disease. Pauciarticular JRA, polyarticular JRA and systemic JRA are the main types of JRA. Pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints are the most frequently found symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
The symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may vary from child to child and may be mild, moderate or very severe which can change over time. The fluctuations like the flare of the symptoms and then remission are typical features of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). The symptoms like swelling and stiffness of joints are more common early in the morning. These symptoms may restrict the range of motion and prevent the joint function. It may result in weakness of joints and limited physical activities. In addition to that, there may be development of deformities in the joints because of asymmetrical and abnormal growth of the joints. Limp is another important symptom related to severe JRA which indicates the involvement of knees.
Besides the symptoms of arthritis, there may be involvement of other organs. Inflammation of eyes (iritis and uveitis) is among the important symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It can cause pain, irritation and redness of eyes as well as increased sensitivity to light. In addition to these symptoms, additional symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are recurrent fever, rash, myalgia (muscle pains), swelling of lymph nodes, weight loss and growth problems. The growth of children having JRA is comparatively slower than average. The affected joints in such children show unusual slow or fast growth.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can give rise to some serious complications. There may be development of joint deformity. The joints may grow in asymmetrical, abnormal way giving rise to deformity. Besides this, there may be involvement of eyes. Eye diseases like iritis (inflammation of iris) can be commonly found in the children with pauciarticular arthritis. Hence, regular examination of eyes from the ophthalmologist is essential for the children with JRA. Otherwise, untreated eye inflammation can give rise to calcium deposition in cornea, cataracts, glaucoma and sometimes blindness.
There may be swelling of lymph nodes because of JRA. Besides this, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can cause problems in development of bone and child’s growth. Some medications used for the treatment of JRA can prevent the growth. In addition to that, there may be inflammation of digestive tract which can cause diarrhea leading to weight loss.
