Although rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that affects mostly middle-aged people, it is possible for the disease to take hold at a much younger age. When this happens, it is called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Not Just a Grandparents' Disease

It may sound strange to hear that arthritis can strike children. It is generally seen as a condition of the elderly and many people are surprised that children can also be affected. However, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is more common than you might think: over 300,000 children in the United States have some form of arthritis, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type among them.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can affect children 16 and younger; children older than 16 are generally considered to have adult onset rheumatoid arthritis. It can be hard to spot juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but you should watch your child's behavior, especially first thing in the morning, to see if he or she experiences the characteristic morning joint stiffness.

If your child displays any symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, it is very important to get him or her to a doctor as soon as possible. Early detection and treatment are an essential part of the treatment plan for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Although no one is sure what causes juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and there is no cure, there are some treatments that can be prescribed by your doctor. All methods have a varying degree of success and side effects.

The best way to treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis – and the one that bears the fewest side effects – is living a healthy lifestyle. Make sure your child gets regular exercise and eats a healthy, balanced diet. Swimming is a good, no-impact way to keeping shape. Keeping regular appointments with a physical therapist will also greatly help your child to retain more range of motion in the affected joints and may even help to decrease pain.

Your child will probably also be treated with drugs at some point. The first line of defense as far as pain relief goes the family of drugs called NSAIDs. This family includes common medicines like aspirin and ibuprofen. Although there may be a link between NSAIDs and stomach problems, your doctor can help you decide which treatment is best for your child.

Having a child with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is not easy, but with a little cooperation from you, your child, and your child's health care team, you can make the treatment easy and beneficial for everyone involved.