Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis or “RA” is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks its own body tissues. This disease affects the lining of joints causing pain and swelling. Eventually the swelling can lead to bone erosion and joint deformity. RA can happen to anyone at any age, but the majority of people who have to endure this disease are women over the age of 40.

Developing this disease made it so that a major shift in my life occurred. When I first heard that the doctor had made a diagnosis of Juvenile Arthritis I didn’t know what to do. I felt like the world around me was coming down on me. I had to learn basic skills all

     Another type is Rheumatoid arthritis. It is what’s known as an inflammatory arthritis. It is the second most common form of arthritis, right behind osteoarthritis. It affects primarily the small joints in the hands and feet, causing crippling deformities. This is an arthritis that usually starts in middle-life or earlier. Estimates say one out of every hundred people, (females are two to three times as likely) suffer from it. It usually starts in the winter and after a common sickness, but it isn’t considered an infective arthritis. Nobody knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis. It could be some hereditary trait. Scientists think that rheumatoid arthritis may be an autoimmune disease (that means the body acts as though it were allergic to itself). The immune system gets mixed up and attacks normal joint tissue instead of the infection it is supposed to attack.

Rheumatoid arthritis generally occurs in a symmetrical pattern, meaning that if it occurs in one hand or knee it will also happen on the other one. The disability that comes with the crippling aspect of Rheumatoid arthritis is preventable by exercise programs, and aspirin or other drugs. A joint may be repaired or replaced, and in extreme cases a gold compound injection can be used.

Juvenile arthritis is a term used to put all the “autoimmune and inflammatory conditions” that anyone under the age of 16 has (Juvenile Arthritis). With almost 300,000 children being affected with juvenile arthritis, it’s easy to believe they all carry the same struggle and pain (Juvenile Arthritis). However, there are many different types of juvenile arthritis that children battle with. The most common forms of juvenile arthritis are juvenile lupus, Kawasaki disease, and Rheumatoid arthritis (Juvenile Arthritis).

There are different types of arthritis such as gouty arthritis which causes a swelling usually in the big toe, psoriatic arthritis that often occurs along with psoriasis and reactive arthritis which usually involves the eyes, urethra and joints. Juvenile arthritis is an umbrella term used to describe any form of childhood arthritis or arthritis-related conditions which affects people under 16 years old. The most common form of childhood arthritis is juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) which is also referred to as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Individuals who suffer from JRA experience stiffness and joint inflammation that result into swelling, warmth, soreness and redness of the joints. JRA, also

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that is characterized by inflammation of the peripheral joints, but it may also involve the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. The prevalence of this autoimmune disease is between 0.3% to 1.5% of the population in the United States (Feinberg, pp 815). It affects women two to three times more often than men, and the onset of RA is usually between 25 and 50 years of age, but it can occur at any age (Reed, pp 584). RA can be diagnosed by establishing the presence of persistent joint pain, swelling in a symmetric distribution, and prolonged morning stiffness. RA usually affects multiple joints, such as the hands, wrists, knees, elbows, feet, shoulders, hips, and small

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) is a chronic and progressive autoimmune disorder of the joints. In JRA the joints become stiff, swollen, and inflamed causing pain and loss of movement. The cause is thought to be genetic and/or related to environmental factors which are still not understood. Because of its origin not being well understood, JRA is also called juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The body has abnormal immune responses wherein it attacks normal cells and tissues causing damage to the joints (McMahon Anne-Marie, 2011).

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), previously known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), is an autoinflammatory disease that begins before the age of 16. (2) The cause behind JIA is currently unknown. Symptoms of JIA are a fever (a rash usually accompanying the fever as well), enlarged spleen, presence of arthritis, and also always a sign of systemic inflammation

“Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of chronic arthritis that occurs in joints on both sides of the body, such as both hands, both wrists, or both knees. This symmetry helps distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from other types of arthritis”. If a joint is deemed as arthritic that means that there is inflammation within the joint. Inflammation within a joint can cause swelling, redness, warmth and pain within that joint. Rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects the joints, but may also affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, or nerves. Rheumatoid arthritis can present itself in many different ways. For some, joint symptoms develop gradually over several years, while others may develop quickly. Some people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis for a short

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disorder. There are more than 100 different types of Arthritis, yet it is estimated that it affects approximately 1% of the population in the Western World. The disease is generally diagnosed in middle aged adults and the elderly. In rarer cases, children can also develop the disease and it is called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Women are three times more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis than men. (Stevens) Many people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis appear to be healthy individuals, but suffer internally. Today, I will discuss what rheumatoid arthritis is, how it is diagnosed, and how it affects the body.

There's multiple ways to treat osteoarthritis; weight loss, exercise, surgery, pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs, physical and occupational therapy. A research has been conducted for this form of arthritis, the research followed the scientific method.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis is a disease in children 16 years or younger that causes inflamed joints. (Haines, 2007) JIA includes 2 or more of these symptoms; ability of motion is impaired, motion causing pain or tenderness, or increased warmth in a joint and occurring in more than one joint for 6 weeks or more. (Espinosa, M., et al., 2012) In the study of Anakinra effects on JIA, the category Systemic JIA is used in the trial. (Nigrovic, P. A., et al., 2011) Many different treatments are used to treat JIA and some arguments have broken out as to

It has been almost six years since my diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. What began as an ankle injury from a school dance performance, quickly turned into a year-long journey of physical rehabilitation in an attempt to heal my foot. Only to discover this injury was not something a cast could mend, rather it would be an obstacle I would have to endure and learn to embrace for the rest of my life. As a young adolescent, the revelation of this disease was a bitter pill to swallow. My diagnosis came at a time in my life when I was just beginning to imagine my future. I was not yet mature enough to process the idea of having to live my life and accept this debilitating disease simultaneously.

Arthritis is a joint disorder, which affects one or several joints in the body. The condition has more than one hundred types of diseases with osteoarthritis being the most common. Osteoarthritis results from joint infection, or age. Patients that suffer from arthritis complain about pain in the joints. In most cases, the pain remains constant in the affected joint. It is worth noting, “The pain from arthritis is due to inflammation that occurs around the joint, damage to the joint from disease, daily wear and tear of joint, muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff painful joints and fatigue” (Reid, Shengelia & Parker, 2012, p. 40). However, joint pain could result from various diseases, and in such