What is Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA)?

What is Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA)?
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), also known as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), and Juvenile Chronic Arthritis (JCA), is the most common form of arthritis found in children. Sometimes occurring as early as infancy, JRA most commonly presents itself during the early childhood and teenage years. It can cause discomfort and damage to the joints, muscles, and to the other soft tissues around the joints. Some of the problems commonly associated with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis include stiffening and inflammation of the joints, disruptions in joint growth, contractures of the joints, and weakness and pain in the muscles and soft tissues.

Approximately 30,000 to 50,000 children in the United States are affected by Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. (Arthritis Foundation) It may be a mild condition that causes the child diagnosed with it few problems beyond mild stiffness or discomfort, it may be debilitating in its severity, or anywhere in between. The exact symptoms a child with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis will experience will be specific to that child.

There are three forms of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Pauciarticular JRA, Polyarticular JRA, and Systemic Onset JRA, each of which manifests itself in the body in different ways. Pauciarticular JRA affects 1-4 joints of the body, Polyarticular JRA affects five or more joints, and Systemic Onset JRA affects one or more joint, but also causes inflammation of the internal organs of the body as well.

Diagnosing Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA)
It is not known what causes Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and depending on the form of JRA a child has, it can be a difficult condition to diagnose. It often takes several tests to determine whether a child has JRA, and if so, what form.