Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is a condition which primarily affects the joints of a child. This condition is alternately called Still's Disease by some experts when it s present in adults. There is some degree of pain and discomfort for the child afflicted with this form of juvenile arthritis because the whole body may eventually be affected by this. Juvenile arthritis is a similar form of adult arthritis but this may eventually be outgrown by the child. Basically, systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can start in a child as early as six months and can last for about sixteen to seventeen years of age. If the arthritis continues past the maximum age, then it becomes Still's Disease.

The root cause of systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is actually not known. Many theories point to the source of the condition as genes while others say that it may be a microbe that has infected the individual.

Symptoms Of Systemic Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis has several specific symptoms that are connected to it which may not appear as other forms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. One of the more unique symptoms is the light pink colored rash that basically appears on the child who is suffering from systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This rash can occur in any part of the child's body and has a distinctive peach or pink color. It may disappear and reappear in random places of the body and is not itchy. Nausea, weight loss and poor eating habits are also symptoms of systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

The child may also experience bouts of high fever that may be alarmingly high during the same periods of each day. These fevers disappear suddenly even without the aid of medicines. Some organs are also affected by systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The spleen and liver are among the several organs that can be affected by the condition. The lungs may also experience some forms of swelling as well as some accumulation of fluid in it. The heart can also have inflammation in the tissues around it which may cause complications. After all these, the patient may eventually develop the swelling and inflammation in the joints which are typical symptoms of most common forms of arthritis. In some cases, the child may experience swelling and pain in the same joints in opposite sides of the body. This symptom of systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is also felt by several joints, more than five at most times.