Syndi Victor
Senior Staff Writer
Children, many thousands of children in fact, struggle with a condition which many believe to be confined to older people. Arthritis is the #1 cause of disability in the U.S. And did you know that the total medical costs and earnings losses due to arthritis was estimated to be $303.5 billion in 2013; nearly 1% of the gross domestic product that year. “Arthritis” is not a single disease; it is an informal way of referring to joint pain or joint disease,” according to Arthritis by the Book” a publication of the Arthritis Foundation. In order to draw attention to the fact that children also suffer with this disease, July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month.
Juvenile Arthritis causes inflammation (swelling) of the synovium in children aged 16 or younger. The synovium is the tissue that lines the inside of joints. It is an autoimmune disease. That means the immune system, which normally protects the body from foreign substances, turns inward and attacks the body itself. The disease is also idiopathic which means that no exact cause is known. Researchers believe Juvenile Arthritis may be related to genetics, certain infections, and environmental triggers.
There are five types of Juvenile Arthritis. Systemic arthritis, also called Still’s disease, can affect the entire body or many of the body’s systems. Usually it causes high fever and a rash which usually shows up on the trunk, arms, and legs. Systemic Juvenile Arthritis can also affect internal organs, such as the heart, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, but usually not the eyes.
Oligoarthritis, also called pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, affects fewer than five joints in the first six months that the child has the disease. The most commonly affected are the knee, ankle, and wrist. More girls than boys are likely to have this type of arthritis. However, much to the relief of parents, many children will outgrow it by the time they become adults.
Polyarthritis, also called polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, involves five or more joints in the first six months of the disease – often the same joints on each side of the body. It can affect the joints in the jaw and neck as well as those in the hands and feet.
Then there is Psoriatic arthritis. Children who have both arthritis and the skin disorder psoriasis are most likely to suffer this type of arthritis. The first part of the disease may occur years before the second part.
Enthesitis-related arthritis is a type of arthritis that frequently afflicts the spine, hips, eyes, and entheses (the places where tendons attach to bones). It occurs mainly in boys older than 8 years of age.
Children with Juvenile Arthritis may not have any symptoms at all. Equally true, symptoms will vary depending on the type of arthritis. The following list is not an exhaustive one but will provide a starting point for parents who are concerned about their children
• Joint stiffness, especially in the morning
• Pain, swelling, and tenderness in the joints
• Limping (In younger children, it may appear that the child is not able to perform motor skills he or she recently learned.)
• Persistent fever • Rash
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Eye redness or eye pain
• Blurred vision
Diagnosing any type of Juvenile Arthritis can be both challenging and confusing as some symptoms can be associated with and are indicative of the possibility of other diseases. There is no definitive test and so diagnosis is made by a process of elimination.
There have been many scientific developments in the study and treatment of Juvenile Arthritis. A child diagnosed today has a better prognosis than at any other time in history. Yukiko Kimura, MD, Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center, in New Jersey says, “The advent of new drugs in recent years and years of experience with the older ones make it possible for the vast majority of children to live healthy, active lives, and in most cases avoid the joint damage that was common a generation ago.” There is still so much that can and needs to be done.
The #StrongerThanJA Campaign wants to get the message out that over 300,000 children in the U.S. alone are dealing with arthritis every day. Sarah B, 24, shared her struggle with the Arthritis Foundation (as reported on their website www. arthritis.org) saying; “I was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis when I was 18 months old. I was the ideal patient for years, very easy to care for. That was until 5 years ago when I was training for my first half marathon. I completely withered away my cartilage in my ankle and now I constantly limp and lost a lot of motion in my ankle. People ask if it is painful and the truth is that yes it is but also I have a high pain tolerance because I’ve learned to live with the pain. Children who live with arthritis are some of the strongest. Every day that we get up and go is a feat, a success.”
Since Juvenile Arthritis has affected the lives of so many
young people, the Arthritis Foundation offers over 137
programs across 47 States to support sufferers and their
families. An example of their programs is Camp AcheAway.
Young people are given the opportunity to swim, dance,
play sports, and truly enjoy themselves despite their
disability. Many young people with JA are determined to
remain active and help others by sharing their stories. The
Arthritis Foundation asks families to encourage their loved
ones with this disease to get involved as much as possible
in any available activities. Any movement is better than no
movement at all. Help raise awareness of the suffering of
those with Juvenile Arthritis. Share your story, read the stories
of others or make a donation to one of the many programs
helping to give sufferers of JA a chance at living happy,
healthy, active lives.
