Overview

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common type of arthritis that affects children. JIA is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that can affect joints in any part of the body.

JIA is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly targets the synovium, the tissue that lines the inside of the joint, and the synovial fluid in the joint. This causes the synovium to make extra synovial fluid, which leads to swelling, pain and stiffness in the joint.

This process can spread to the nearby tissues, eventually damaging cartilage and bone. Other areas of the body, especially the eyes, may also be affected by the inflammation. If it is not treated, JIA can interfere with a child’s normal growth and development.

What are the types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis?

There are several types of JIA, depending on the symptoms and the number of joints involved:

  • Oligoarthritis: This type of JIA affects fewer than five joints, most often in the knee, ankle and elbow. It also can cause uveitis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye (the uvea). Uveitis may be undetectable without a dedicated eye exam. About half of all children with JIA have oligoarthritis; it is more common in girls than in boys. Many children will outgrow oligoarthritis by adulthood. In some children, it may spread to eventually involve more joints.
  • Polyarthritis: This type of JIA affects five or more joints, often the same joints on each side of the body. Polyartritis can also affect the neck and jaw joints and the smaller joints, such as those in the hands and feet. It is more common in girls than in boys and accounts for 20 percent of JIA patients
  • Psoriatic arthritis: This type of arthritis affects children who have arthritis and psoriasis, a rash that causes raised red patches or skin lesions covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. Psoriatic arthritis can also cause nail changes that look like dimpling or pitting.
  • Enthesitis-related arthritis: Also known as spondyloarthropathy. This type of arthritis often affects the spine, hips and entheses (the points where tendons and ligaments attach to bones), and occurs mainly in boys older than seven years. The eyes are often affected in this type of arthritis, and may become painful or red.
  • Systemic arthritis: Also called Still’s disease, this type occurs in about 10 to 20 percent of children with JIA. A systemic illness is one that can affect the entire body or many body systems. Besides arthritis, systemic JIA usually causes persistent high fever and rash, which most often appears on the trunk, arms and legs when fever spikes. It can also affect internal organs, such as the heart, liver, spleen and lymph nodes. This type of JIA affects boys and girls equally and rarely affects the eyes.

How common is juvenile idiopathic arthritis?

JIA is the most common type of arthritis in children. It affects about 1 in 1,000 children, or about 300,000 children in the United States.

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.
The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:
  • High blood pressure.
  • Diabetes.
  • Heart failure.
  • Some types of heart valve disease.
Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:
  • Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
  • Don't smoke or use tobacco.
  • Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
  • Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
  • Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Reduce and manage stress.


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