Juvenile Arthritis - How Does it Differ From Adult Arthritis?
Juvenile chronic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and childhood arthritis are all terms that are used to describe juvenile arthritis. In fact, there are another five sub-types that vary according to symptoms. At one time juvenile arthritis was called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The term rheumatoid gave the wrong impression that this condition is related to rheumatoid arthritis that affects adults. Therefore, the term rheumatoid was taken out.
Different from Adult Arthritis
When most people think of arthritis, they are under the impression that it affects the eldery only. However, there are numerous instances of juvenile arthritis that affect babies and young children. As a matter of fact, approximately 300,000 children today under the age of sixteen are victims of juvenile arthritis.
Despite the prevalance of this condition, the exact cause is still unknown. What is known is that adult arthritis and juvenile arthritis have two major differences. First, children with arthritis have shown that as they get older, they can outgrow the condition. Second, it is easier to diagnose adult arthritis than juvenile arthritis.
Juvenile chronic arthritis can be characterized as a condition that causes inflammation of the joints, and is diagnosed to children under the age of sixteen. The problems the are experienced by adults can certainly affect children as well.
As mentioned, the exact cause is not exactly known of juvenile arthritis but one theory is that it is an autoimmune disease. Some of the symptoms include, but are not limited to, persistent inflammation of the joints, pain, and stiffness that gets worse in the morning or after sleeping. The pain felt can limit the patient’s range of movement in their affected joints, though normally children do not complain about pain.
Diagnoses can prove to be difficult since there is no test that will outright tell one that he or she has juvenile arthritis. Therefore, thorough examination must be done in regards to stiffness of the joints when waking up and range of motion. Another sign is if the child shows resistance toward using a certain limb. The person best suited to treat juvenile arthritis is a pediatrician, family doctor. or any other primary care medical professional.
A common type of arthritis in children is juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which is very persistent and can affect the entire body. Idiopathic is a term that refers to a condition that does not have a known cause, while juvenile of course refers to anyone who has not reached sixteen years old. Also, this form of arthritis is very different to the kind of arthritis that affects adults.
See Also: A look at systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Arthritis
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