Arthritis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system. It is a chronic inflammation of one or more joints. Juvenil means that the joint inflammation must have occurred before the age of 15.
Poly-arthritis means that several joints must be involved. In general, juvenile polyarthritis is counted among the autoimmune diseases. External factors are suspected to be the trigger of juvenile arthritis, e.g. : Viruses or bacteria as pathogens, which can trigger the disease if a genetic predisposition exists. There are numerous sites in the DNA that can promote juvenile arthritis, but in most cases these are different gene regions than in adult rheumatoid diseases. Still’s disease also belongs to juvenile polyarthritis and thus represents a subtype.
Frequency
Every year, about 5 to 6 out of every 100,000 children and adolescents under the age of 16 suffer from juvenile arthritis. As soon as several relatives in a family are affected, the risk of the disease increases tenfold. A monozygotic twin examination could show that there is an increased probability that the second child falls ill about six months after the first.
Symptoms
The typical signs of joint inflammation with swelling, redness, overheating and pain do not occur as frequently in children as in adults. Many children do not express their pain from the beginning, they are more likely to be carried by their parents, are tearful and often tired. A gentle position is taken in the affected joint, mostly the joints are bent.
If this is not noticed over a longer period of time, the muscles and tendons can be permanently shortened by not moving the joint. In the worst case, this can lead to asymmetrical growth of the joints. Pressure on the affected joint can trigger a moderate “pressure pain“.
The children report that the pain usually increases in the morning or after a long period of immobility. Morning stiffness can also be observed in the affected children. Arthritis (inflammation of the joints), which affects many joints, occurs first at the small joints of both hands and feet. In the chronic form of juvenile polyarthritis with high disease activity, the growth and development in relation to puberty may be disturbed and weight loss may occur.
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