Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

P Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a term used to describe a group of disorders in children that includes arthritis. They are long-term (chronic) diseases that cause joint pain and swelling.

T Causes
P The cause of JIA is not known. It is thought to be an autoimmune illness. This means the body attacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake.
P JIA most often develops before age 16. Symptoms may start as early as 6 months old.
P There are several types of JIA:
- Systemic (bodywide) JIA involves joint swelling or pain, fevers, and rash. It is the least common type.
- Polyarticular JIA involves many joints. This form of JIA may turn into rheumatoid arthritis. It may involve 5 or more large and small joints of the legs and arms, as well as the jaw and neck.
- Pauciarticular JIA involves 4 or less joints, most often the wrists, or knees. It also affects the eyes.
- Spondyloarthritis of children resembles the disorder in adults and often involves the sacroiliac joint.

T Symptoms
P Symptoms of JIA may include:
- Swollen, red, or warm joint
- Limping or problems using a limb
- Sudden high fever, which may come back
- Rash (on trunk and extremities) that comes and goes with fever
- Stiffness, pain, and limited movement of a joint
- Low back pain that does not go away
- Bodywide symptoms such as pale skin, swollen lymph gland, and a sick appearance
P JIA can also cause eye problems called uveitis, iridocyclitis, or iritis. There may be no symptoms. When eye symptoms occur, they can include:
- Red eyes
- Eye pain, which may get worse when looking at light (photophobia)
- Vision changes

T Exams and Tests
P The physical exam may show swollen, warm, and tender joints that hurt to move. The child may have a rash. Other signs include:
- Swollen liver
- Swollen spleen
- Swollen lymph nodes
P Blood tests may include:
- Rheumatoid factor
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
- Antinuclear antibody (ANA)
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- HLA-B27
P Any or all of these blood tests may be normal in children with JIA.
P The health care provider may place a small needle into a swollen joint to remove fluid. This can help to find the cause of the arthritis. It can also help relieve pain. The provider may inject steroids into the joint to help reduce swelling.
P Other tests that may be done include:
- X-ray of a joint
- Bone scan
- X-ray of the chest
- ECG
- Regular eye exam by an ophthalmologist -- This should be done even if there are no eye symptoms.

T Treatment
P Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen may be enough to control symptoms when only a small number of joints are involved.
P Corticosteroids may be used for more severe flare-ups to help control symptoms.
P Children who have arthritis in many joints, or who have fever, rash, and swollen glands may need other medicines. These are called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). They can help reduce swelling in the joints or body. DMARDs include:
- Methotrexate
- Biologic drugs, such as etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), and related drugs
P Children with JIA need to stay active.
P Exercise will help keep their muscles and joints strong and mobile.
- Walking, bicycling, and swimming may be good activities.
- Children should learn to warm up before exercising.
- Talk to the doctor or physical therapist about exercises to do when your child is having pain.
P Children who have sadness or anger about their arthritis may need extra support.
P Some children with JIA may need surgery, including joint replacement.

T Outlook (Prognosis)
P Children with only a few affected joints may have no symptoms for a long period.
P In many children, the disease will become inactive and cause very little joint damage.
P The severity of the disease depends on the number of affected joints. It is less likely that symptoms will go away in these cases. These children more often have long-term (chronic) pain, disability, and problems at school. Some children may continue to have arthritis as adults.

T Possible Complications
P Complications may include:
- Wearing away or destruction of joints (can occur in people with more severe JIA)
- Slow rate of growth
- Uneven growth of an arm or leg
- Loss of vision or decreased vision from chronic uveitis (this problem may be severe, even when the arthritis is not very severe)
- Anemia
- Swelling around the heart (pericarditis)
- Long-term (chronic) pain, poor school attendance

T When to Contact a Medical Professional
P Call your provider if:
- You, or your child, notice symptoms of JIA
- Symptoms get worse or do not improve with treatment
- New symptoms develop

T Prevention
P There is no known prevention for JIA.

T Alternative Names
P Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA); Juvenile chronic polyarthritis; Still disease; Juvenile spondyloarthritis

T References
P Beukelman T, Patkar NM, Saag KG, et al. 2011 American College of Rheumatology recommendations for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis: initiation and safety monitoring of therapeutic agents for the treatment of arthritis and systemic features. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011;63(4):465-482. PMID: 21452260 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21452260.
P Long AR, Rouster-Stevens KA. The role of exercise therapy in the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2010;22(2):213-217. PMID: 20010296 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20010296.
P Nordal E, Rygg M, Fasth A. Clinical features of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In: Hochberg MC, Silman AJ, Smolen JS, Weinblatt ME, Weisman MH, eds. Rheumatolgy. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby; 2015:chap 101.
P Prince FH, Otten MH, van Suijlekom-Smit LW. Diagnosis and management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. BMJ. 2010;341:c6434. PMID: 21131338 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21131338.
P Wu EY, Bryan AR, Rabinovich CE. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In: Kliegman RM, Stanton BF, St. Geme JW, Schor NF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 20th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 155.

T Review Date 4/24/2017
P Updated by: Gordon A. Starkebaum, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

