What are the important details you need to know about dealing with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in kids?

As soon as individuals hear the term arthritis, they will associate it with the adults but actually juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a condition affecting the kids. This is one such disease that will affect the joints of the kids and further will lead to developmental issues in kids. It will affect joints in any part of the body and the intensity and severity will depend on the type. Unlike any other kind of issues which are shorter in terms of lasting this is a long-lasting condition.

Parents will always be curious to know how the children will be growing and get affected by this problem but this type of arthritis will be auto-immune in nature which means that the immune system of such children will be failing to identify the parts of their own joints. This will consider them as foreign and harmful substances and eventually will destroy them. The main target of the immune system in this disease will be the synovium which is the tissue lining inside the joints. Once it is targeted it will produce the fluid that will be making the swelling into joints and will be leading to pain, stiffness and restriction in movement. So, to get rid of such issues consulting the doctors at a rheumatology hospital for kids will be a very important matter of discussion so that the concerns will be very professional and confidently managed.

Some symptoms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are:

1. Swelling in joint with pain and stiffness 
2. Morning stiffness in joints 
3. Consistent problem of limping 
4. Restriction of the movement of joints 
5. Very warm joints that will be due to ongoing inflammation in them 
6. Difficulty in performing daily activities 
7. Fever and rashes 
8. Loss of weight 
9. Loss of appetite 

In the later stages of the disease, individuals will also be witnessing discrepancies in the length of the limbs which will lead to other problems in the form of general illness and fever. Arthritis will not always be present in the same manner in all of the children and there are some types depending on the involvement of the joint. 

Common types of JIA are:

1. Oligoarthritis: This will affect less than five joints and the common ones will be the knee, ankle and elbow. Although the majority of the children in this case will be outgoing the disease till adulthood but some cases it will become intense with age and involve a greater number of joints. The ongoing autoimmune disease will also affect the eyes which will result in other issues.
2. Polyarthritis: This is the condition in which five and a greater number of joints will be affected due to larger involvement. It will also involve smaller joints such as hands, feet, neck and jaw.
3. Systematic JIA: This will lead to fever and rashes and further will also be affecting the other internal organs of the body in children who are suffering from it. 
4. Psoriatic arthritis: This is the condition in which the skin disease will happen altogether and this will be presenting with thick raised and red patches on the skin which could be itchy as well as painful. This is also a part of the auto-immune condition.
5. Enthesitis-related arthritis: This is the point where tendons and ligaments will be attached to the bone further leading to a significant number of issues. It will also be affecting the spine and hip area in addition to the basic joints.

The name juvenile idiopathic arthritis itself suggests that this particular disease is idiopathic which means that the cause is not at all known but some of the factors that play a critical role in its diagnosis will be genetic, environmental and immune factors. As per the doctors and the best paediatric rheumatologists, a family history of auto-immune disease, infection and trauma will be leading such issues in kids without any doubt. The doctor will be able to confirm this particular condition after a detailed history and clinical exam examination because the doctor in some of the cases will be advising you with diagnostic testing including blood tests, anti-nuclear antibodies, imaging and CRP. This will be helpful in confirming the disease and further prognosis very well.

Some treatment options for the management of JIA:

1. Medication: Some of the medications in this case will be proven to be relief for symptoms like pain and swelling and further injection or oral medication will be prescribed by the doctor for the control of inflammation. Paediatric rheumatologists in this case will be carefully assessing the health condition of every child and will be monitoring the dose without any problem. 
2. Physical therapy: This will include the exercise of the joints, stretching and use of external devices which will improve the functioning of the joints. Very well-designed physical therapy under the guidance of the therapist will be recommended by the doctor because it will be helpful for the kids to perform daily activities in a better way. 
3. Psychological support: Chronic diseases like JIA will restrict the daily activities of the children and will lead to emotional stress on the psychological health of the kids. So, proceeding with the counselling with the help of experts will be very important so that increasing awareness and support groups will be there and by joining the support group you will be able to have a clear idea about the similar struggle with professional discussions with other people in the industry.

Conclusion:

The parents of children suffering from this particular problem should not restrict them from the social circle or discourage them from performing any activity because the paediatric urologist and rheumatologist will be always at the forefront in motivating the kids to live normally like other children do. If they can perform an activity they should be encouraged to perform and if they play a game they should be encouraged to play a game. Usage of joints will be always helpful in strengthening the muscles around the joint support and attending school normally will be very important for emotional and mental health. The treatment in such cases will be always based upon individual requirements and this will depend on the intensity of the disease for the overall health and development of the children. Hence early identification will lead to timely treatment and will ensure that kids with fewer issues and better quality of life.