Juvenile Arthritis

 Nearly 300,000 children are affected by one type of juvenile arthritis (JA). The exact causes of JA are unknown, but researchers believe that certain genes may cause JA when activated by a virus, bacteria or other external factors. There are several types of juvenile arthritis, which Health Care Medical Infusion Specialties can treat in our infusion suites or in the comfort of a patient’s own home.

 

JA may cause the following symptoms:

 

Joints

Joints can get red, stiff or swollen, painful, warm or tender – all signs of inflammation. The symptoms of the joints may prove debilitating for a child, making it too much of a challenge to move and carry on with a normal day. These symptoms can worsen in the morning and if the child holds one position for too long a period. 

 

Eyes

Believe it or not, symptoms of juvenile arthritis are not only present in the joints and skin. They can also present themselves in the eyes, creating pain, redness, dryness, sensitivity to light and trouble with vision caused by uveitis, a type of chronic eye inflammation.

 

Juvenile arthritis may affect internal organs such as the digestive tract and cause diarrhea and bloating, shortness of breath due to lung inflammation and the heart. 

Other symptoms include feeling tired or rundown (fatigue), appetite loss and high spiking fever. 

 

Children often outgrow JA, which is one promising component of the condition. Other positive facts regarding JA conditions according to the American College of Rheumatology include:

 

  • Arthritis in children is treatable. It is important to seek treatment from health care professionals who are knowledgeable about childhood arthritis.

  • Most children with arthritis can expect to live normal lives.

  • Some children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) will have their disease go into remission.

  • Federal and state programs may provide assistance with school accommodations or services. Ask your rheumatology team about summer camps and opportunities to meet other children with arthritis.

  • Except in rare circumstances, JIA is not directly inherited from the mother or father.

 

 

Trusted for two decades by patients, hospital systems and healthcare institutions statewide, Health Care Medical Infusion Specialties is Mississippi’s leading and most comprehensive provider of infusion services, nutritional and immunity IV therapy, and durable medical equipment for adults and children.

 

Robyn Pollack