What is juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a form of arthritis in children. Arthritis causes joint swelling (inflammation) and joint stiffness. JIA is arthritis that affects one or more joints for at least 6 weeks in a child age 16 or younger.
What is JRA?
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), often referred to by doctors today as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), is a type of arthritis that causes joint inflammation and stiffness for more than six weeks in a child aged 16 or younger. It affects approximately 50,000 children in the United States.
What does idiopathic arthritis mean?
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis refers to a group of conditions involving joint inflammation (arthritis ) that first appears before the age of 16. This condition is an autoimmune disorder, which means that the immune system malfunctions and attacks the body’s organs and tissues, in this case the joints.
What are the three types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
The three major types include: Oligoarticular JIA (arthritis in four joints or less) Polyarticular JIA (arthritis in five or more joints) Systemic JIA (arthritis plus fever, rash and large lymph nodes)
What is the pathophysiology of juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
The hallmark of arthritis in JIA is inflammation of the synovial lining of the joint, which causes the above signs and symptoms. If uncontrolled, it may lead to joint destruction through progressive erosion of articular cartilage and contiguous bone.
How is juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated?
Treatment may include medicines such as: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), to reduce pain and inflammation. Disease-modifying antirheumatic medicines (DMARDs), such as methotrexate, to ease inflammation and control JIA. Corticosteroid medicines, to reduce inflammation and severe symptoms.
Can juvenile idiopathic arthritis go away?
JIA is a chronic condition, meaning it can last for months and years. Sometimes the symptoms just go away with treatment, which is known as remission. Remission may last for months, years, or a person’s lifetime. In fact, many teens with JIA eventually enter full remission with little or no permanent joint damage.
How common is juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
How common is juvenile idiopathic arthritis? JIA is the most common type of arthritis in children. It affects about 1 in 1,000 children, or about 300,000 children in the United States.
What are the risk factors for juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
In our study, cigarette smoke exposure (intrauterine and after birth), exposure to O3 in the second year of life, and maternal occupational exposure were identified as potential risk factors for JIA, warranting further study.
When was juvenile idiopathic arthritis discovered?
Although the patients afflicted by JIA are young, the history of the condition is not. Frederick Still, a paediatrician at Great Ormond St Hospital in England, first described the condition in 1896. Despite this it took far longer for acceptance of JIA as a disease distinct from adult rheumatoid arthritis to occur.
How can Juvenile idiopathic arthritis be prevented?
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis cannot be prevented or avoided. Certain lifestyle changes can lessen your child’s discomfort. This includes exercise (walking, biking and swimming). Warm up before exercising.
