Arthritis affects 1 out of 1000 children a year. One child in 10 thousand children will have a severe form of the disease. Arthritis in children is similar to arthritis in adults. It can start anytime after birth. We used to call all arthritis found in children, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. We now know that there are four different forms of arthritis affecting joints and connective tissues in children. They are:
* Polyarticular: Many small joints on both sides of the body may be involved. Fever, weight loss, morning stiffness and flu-like symptoms may occur. Joint stiffness and pain may get worse with strenuous activity. This is a chronic disease which may affect the lower spine.
* Pauciarticular (pronounced paw-see-ar-tic-u-lar) : This type most often affects girls from ages two to four. Symptoms include dry eyes, joint pain and swelling. This type often goes away after a short period of time.
* Systemic: This type occurs weeks to months after a high fever. A salmon colored rash occurs at night along with high fevers. Swelling of the liver, lymph nodes and spleen may occur.
* Ankylosing Spondylitis: Symptoms include swollen and painful ankle and knee joints.

Onset and severity of symptoms varies within each type and between types. Over 30 percent of children develop permanent joint changes. In addition, the growing child may experience abnormal bone growth. For example, the disease may increase growth in one leg bone but not in the other. This can produce one leg that is longer than the other. Another risk is when a child keeps a joint from moving to avoid pain, this can weaken and shorten muscles causing a deformity over time.

Treatment includes:
* drugs to reduce swelling and pain,
* range of motion exercises, and
* splints to prevent loss of motion and deformity.

A balance between normal activity and rest is necessary. This will avoid fatigue and excessive stress on affected joints. To maintain a healthy attitude, do not isolate a child from his or her normal routine. The outlook for juvenile arthritis is often better than that for an adult with arthritis. Many children recover completely. To learn more, call the Arthritis Foundation at (800) 283-7800.

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