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JUVENILE ARTHRITIS SYMPTOMS |
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A number of different causes have been
sought to explain the onset of Juvenile Arthritis. There seems to be some genetic
link, based on the fact that the tendency to develop Juvenile Arthritis sometimes
runs in a particular family, and based on the fact that certain
genetic markers are more frequently found in patients with Juvenile Arthritis and
other related diseases. Many researchers have looked for some
infectious cause for Juvenile Arthritis, but no clear connection to a particular
organism has ever been made. Juvenile Arthritis is considered by some to be an
autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune disorders occur when the body's
immune system mistakenly identifies the body's own tissue as foreign,
and goes about attacking those tissues, as if trying to rid the body
of an invader (such as a bacteria, virus, or fungi). While an
autoimmune mechanism is strongly suspected, certain markers of such
a mechanism (such as rheumatoid factor, often present in adults with
such disorders) are rarely present in children with Juvenile Arthritis. Joint symptoms of arthritis may include stiffness, pain, redness and warmth of the joint, and swelling. Bone in the area of an affected joint may grow too quickly, or too slowly, resulting in limbs which are of different lengths. When the child tries to avoid moving a painful joint, the muscle may begin to shorten from disuse. This is called a contracture. Symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis depend on the particular subtype. Juvenile Arthritis is classified by the symptoms which appear within the first six months of the disorder: Pauciarticular Juvenile Arthritis: This is the most common and the least severe type of Juvenile Arthritis, affecting about 40-60% of all Juvenile Arthritis patients. This type of Juvenile Arthritis affects fewer than four joints, usually the knee, ankle, wrist, and/or elbow. Other more general (systemic) symptoms are usually absent, and the child's growth usually remains normal. Very few children (less than 15%) with pauciarticular Juvenile Arthritis end up with deformed joints. Some children with this form of Juvenile Arthritis experience painless swelling of the joint. Some children with Juvenile Arthritis have a serious inflammation of structures within the eye, which if left undiagnosed and untreated could even lead to blindness. While many children have cycles of flares and remissions, in some children the disease completely and permanently resolves within a few years of diagnosis. Polyarticular Juvenile Arthritis: About 40% of all cases of Juvenile Arthritis are of this type. More girls than boys are diagnosed with this form of Juvenile Arthritis. This type of Juvenile Arthritis is most common in children up to age three, or after the age of 10. Polyarticular Juvenile Arthritis affects five or more joints simultaneously. This type of Juvenile Arthritis usually affects the small joints of both hands and both feet, although other large joints may be affected as well. Some patients with arthritis in their knees will experience a different rate of growth in each leg. Ultimately, one leg will grow longer than the other. About half of all patients with polyarticular Juvenile Arthritis have arthritis of the spine and/or hip. Some patients with polyarticular Juvenile Arthritis will have other symptoms of a systemic illness, including anemia (low red blood cell count), decreased growth rate, low appetite, low-grade fever, and a slight rash. The disease is most severe in those children who are diagnosed in early adolescence. Some of these children will test positive for a marker present in other autoimmune disorders, called rheumatoid factor (RF). RF is found in adults who have rheumatoid arthritis. Children who are positive for RF tend to have a more severe course, with a disabling form of arthritis which destroys and deforms the joints. This type of arthritis is thought to be the adult form of rheumatoid arthritis occurring at a very early age. Systemic onset Juvenile Arthritis: Sometimes called Still disease (after a physician who originally described it), this type of Juvenile Arthritis occurs in about 10-20% off all patients with Juvenile Arthritis. Boys and girls are equally affected, and diagnosis is usually made between the ages of 5-10 years. The initial symptoms are not usually related to the joints. Instead, these children have high fevers; a rash; decreased appetite and weight loss; severe joint and muscle pain; swollen lymph nodes, spleen, and liver; and serious anemia. Some children experience other complications, including inflammation of the sac containing the heart (pericarditis); inflammation of the tissue lining the chest cavity and lungs (pleuritis); and inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). The eye inflammation often seen in pauciarticular Juvenile Arthritis is uncommon in systemic onset Juvenile Arthritis. Symptoms of actual arthritis begin later in the course of systemic onset Juvenile Arthritis, and they often involve the wrists and ankles. Many of these children continue to have periodic flares of fever and systemic symptoms throughout childhood. Some children will go on to develop a polyarticular type of Juvenile Arthritis. Spondyloarthropathy: This type of Juvenile Arthritis most commonly affects boys older than eight years of age. The arthritis occurs in the knees and ankles, moving over time to include the hips and lower spine. Inflammation of the eye may occur occasionally, but usually resolves without permanent damage. Psoriatic Juvenile Arthritis: This type of arthritis usually shows up in fewer than four joints, but goes on to include multiple joints (appearing similar to polyarticular Juvenile Arthritis). Hips, back, fingers, and toes are frequently affected. A skin condition called psoriasis accompanies this type of arthritis. Children with this type of Juvenile Arthritis often have pits or ridges in their fingernails. The arthritis usually progresses to become a serious, disabling problem. |
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| JUVENILE ARTHRITIS RELATED ITEMS | ||
