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Table of Contents
Onset
Risk
How to Manage Flares
Prescribed Treatment
Prognosis Into Adulthood
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a joint disease of unknown (idiopathic) cause that affects children.JIA develops when the immune system becomes overactive and causes inflammation. It was previously known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
JIA symptoms include chronic joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. Some children may have symptoms over a few months, while others may have symptoms for many years.JIA can sometimes be severe and lead to growth problems, joint damage, and eye inflammation.
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When Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Begins
Juvenile idiopathic arthritishas six categories, including:
Age of Diagnosis
JIA affects children 16 and younger. The average age of onset is ages 2 to 5.JIA can also occur in children as young as 6 weeks old.It is possible for a child to outgrow JIA, although it may affect bone development.
Some types of JIA affect children of one sex more than another, while others affect children of all sexes equally.Children of all races and backgrounds can have JIA.
Early-Onset Arthritis: Types, Symptoms, and Treatment
Symptom Onset and Duration
JIA affects 1 in 1,000 children in the United States.Some children may only experience JIA for a few months, while others may have it for several years. JIA can also becomeadult arthritisand last a lifetime.
It may take years for a child to receive a JIA diagnosis because symptoms may come on slowly. Some early symptoms of JIA are:
JIA remission occurs when children’s symptoms improve or completely disappear.Some children experience remission for months or years, and for others, it could be permanent.
But even in permanent remission, a child will need to continue managing JIA into adulthood. Fortunately, JIA treatments and monitoring have improved the prognosis for most children.
One study reported in 2014 followed 176 children with JIA for 30 years and found that 59% were in remission without medication at the 30-year mark.Seven percent were in remission with medication, while 34% were still living with an active disease.
Joint Symptoms and Long-Term Effects
Thesymptoms a child will experience with JIAwill depend on the type of JIA they have.
Joint symptoms may include:
Left untreated, JIA can have long-term effects. Such effects include:
Risk of JIA in Children
JIA is anautoimmune disease, which means the body’s immune system malfunctions and attacks its own healthy tissues.
The exact causes of JIA are not known, but genes and environmental factors are believed to play a role, as follows:
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “girl,” and “boy” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “girl,” and “boy” as the sources use them.
Like adult arthritis, JIA causes periods of high disease activity known asflare-ups or flares.Flare-ups cause severe pain, swollen joints, and additional symptoms like fever, fatigue, skin rash, and eye problems (blurry vision and dry eyes).
Ways to help your child manage a flare are:
If you sense something is wrong, reach out to your child’s healthcare provider. Encourage your child to learn about JIA and speak up when they notice worsening symptoms. With time, they will learn to spot an incoming flare and let you know.
Medications used to treat JIA can reduce pain, improve function, and minimize the potential for joint damage.
The medications used to help children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis can help decrease pain, improve function, and minimize potential joint damage.
Medications used to treat JIA include:
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs(DMARDs): DMARDs are used when NSAIDs alone do not help to manage a child’s joint pain or if your child’s provider feels there is a risk for joint damage. The most commonly prescribed DMARD for JIA is methotrexate.
Biologic drugs: Some biologic drugs help to reduce systemic (body-wide) inflammation and prevent joint damage. Others work to suppress the immune system to stop inflammation in the first place. Biologic drugs include:
Corticosteroids: Medications likeprednisonecan control inflammation and other JIA symptoms until longer-term medications take effect. They can also be used to manage severe disease flares. However, these drugs can interfere with growth and increase a child’s risk of severe infections, so they should be taken for the shortest time possible.
In addition to medication, your child’s healthcare provider might also recommend physical therapy.Physical therapycan help to:
The prognosis of JIA has improved over the past few decades due to the introduction of newer medications, including biologics. Healthcare providers previously believed children would outgrow the condition, but newer research shows that JIA can persist into adulthood.
It is difficult for healthcare providers to predict which children will go into disease remission and which ones will continue to need treatment into adulthood.
Some research shows children with oligoarticular JIA are more likely to achieve disease remission and discontinue all treatments compared to other JIA types.Early recognition and appropriate therapies help to improve outcomes.
Children with most forms of JIA can have unaffected life expectancies.However, systemic JIA can lead to life-threatening complications.
Such complications include:
JIA can lead toadult-onset Still’s disease, which is an adult form of systemic JIA.It is a rare type ofinflammatory arthritisthat can cause fevers, sore throat, joint pain, and rash that comes and goes quickly.
Can You Get Disability Benefits With JIA?Children with JIA may qualify for disability benefits if their JIA affects their mobility and function.But JIA would have to seriously limit the child’s activities for them to qualify for Social Security disability. Disability benefits would also be determined based on the family’s income and resources.
Can You Get Disability Benefits With JIA?
Children with JIA may qualify for disability benefits if their JIA affects their mobility and function.But JIA would have to seriously limit the child’s activities for them to qualify for Social Security disability. Disability benefits would also be determined based on the family’s income and resources.
The healthcare provider can also adjust treatments due to side effects if different dosages are needed and provide new treatments. They can also track remission through blood work and imaging. If treatments are working well, they may reduce or stop medicines.
The most appropriate healthcare provider for treating JIA is a pediatric rheumatologist, a physician who specializes in childhood arthritis and other bone and joint problems affecting children. If you cannot find a pediatric rheumatologist in your area, you can work with your child’s pediatrician and a rheumatologist.
Additional specialists who can work with your child include:
What Type of Doctor Treats Autoimmune Diseases?
Summary
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a type of arthritis that affects children. It is classified into six subtypes: oligoarticular JIA, polyarticular JIA, enthesitis-related arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic onset JIA, and undifferentiated JIA.
JIA causes joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. It may also cause systemic symptoms like fever and fatigue. The duration of the condition can vary, but it can last for months or years. In some cases, it may progress into adulthood.
Treatments for JIA include NSAIDs, DMARDs, biologics, and corticosteroids. Physical and occupational therapy can also help.
The prognosis for JIA depends on the type of JIA, but most types are manageable. Systemic onset JIA can be a severe condition, but long-term treatment can prevent complications.
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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