Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month
July 9, 2019
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month. Juvenile Arthritis (JA) causes stiffness, swelling and chronic pain in the joints. This is an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own healthy cells and tissues. JA happens in children aged 16 and younger. There are 3 main types of Juvenile arthritis:
Oligoarticular: is more common in girls younger than 8. This type of JA effects about 50% of children with JA and usually involves 4 or less joints (knee, ankle, or wrist. Fingers and toes are unusual). This type of JA can also cause eye inflammation so regular eye checkups are highly recommended.
Polyarticular: this type effects girls more than boys and at 30% of the cases. Effecting both large and small joints such as hands and feet. The joints are usually lateral meaning they effect both sides of the body. Doctors believe this is the same type of arthritis as adult rheumatoid arthritis.
Systemic: effects about 20% of cases and cause symptoms of rash, inflammation of internal organs such as the heart, liver, spleen and lymph nodes. This type can cause a fever of at least 102 degrees and can last for at least 2 weeks.
Treatments are medications, therapy, splits and surgical. For more information you can visit here.