Tuesday, September, 2012

I myself have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It is a disease of the skeletal system. It is a long term disease that can result in joint pain and swelling. The cause of this disease is not known. It is thought to be a autoimmune illness. This mean that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. JRA as it is called can sometimes start as early as six months old. It usually occurs before the age of 16. Types of JRA
The least common type of JRA is systematic. This still involves joint pain and swelling. This type also includes fevers, rashes, and pain. This type is the least common type of the three. The second type is the polyarticular JRA. This form of JRA may turn into rheumatoid arthritis. It may involve five or more large and small joints of the legs and arms. It may also include the neck and jaw. The third and final type of JRA is pauciarticular. It involves four or less joints. It is mostly in the wrists or knees. It also affects the eyes. Symptoms of JRA
There are specific symptoms of JRA. Some of these symptoms include, a swollen joint, limping, a spike in fever, or a new rash. Symptoms can include joint stiffness and pain, limited range of motion, warm swollen or red joints, or a child may stop using an affected limb. The eye problem of JRA is called uveitis. There may be no symptoms or the person may have red eyes, eye pain (which may get worse when looking at light), and vision changes. Signs of JRA
There are many signs of JRA. One sign is a swollen liver. Others include swollen spleen, and swollen lymph nodes. To determine if u have JRA you have to get physical examinations. These may show swollen, warm and tender joints. The child may also have a rash. The tests you may have to go through are blood tests, x-ray, bone scans, ECG, or an eye