Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Alternative Names:

Juvenile chronic polyarthritis; JRA; Still's disease; Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Symptoms:

Arthritis symptoms:

Joint stiffness on arising in the morning
Limited range of motion
Slow rate of growth or uneven arm or leg growth
Hot, swollen, painful joints
A child may stop using an affected limb
Back pain

Systemic JRA symptoms:

Fever, usually high fevers every day
Rash that comes and goes with the fever
Swollen lymph nodes (glands)

JRA can also cause eye inflammation. These symptoms include:

Red eyes
Eye pain
Photophobia (increased pain when looking at a light)
Visual changes

Signs and tests:

The physical examination shows swollen, warm, and tender joints that hurt to move. The child may have a rash. Other signs include an enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, or swollen lymph nodes.

Blood tests may include:

CBC
ESR (sedimentation rate)
ANA
RA factor
HLA antigens for HLA B27

The doctor may need to tap a joint. This means that they will put a small needle into a joint that is swollen. This can help to find the cause of the arthritis. By removing fluid, the joint may feel better, too. Sometimes, the doctor will inject steroids into the joint to help decrease the swelling.

Other tests:

X-ray of a joint
X-ray of the chest
ECG
Eye exam by an ophthomologist

Review Date: 4/20/2005
Reviewed By: Stanford Peng, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Rheumatology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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