What is Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis?
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a general name for several kinds of arthritis. “Juvenile” means that it affects young people, “idiopathic” means that we don’t know what the cause is, and “arthritis” means inflammation of the joints. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis used to be called Juvenile Chronic Arthritis (JCA). In some countries it is called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), and sometimes people simply call it Juvenile Arthritis (JA).
JIA is chronic arthritis that begins in children under 16 years of age. It causes inflammation in one or more joints for 6 weeks or longer.
JIA can appear in many different ways and can range in severity. It mostly affects the joints and the surrounding tissues, although it can affect other organs like the eyes. Some of the symptoms and signs of an inflamed joint include joint swelling, pain, stiffness (especially in the morning), and warmth around the joint. Your child may not have all of these in every joint that is inflamed. Less commonly, your child may also have other symptoms such as fever, rash, loss of appetite and loss of weight.
What does chronic mean?
- painful, swollen or stiff joint(s)
- joint(s) that are warm to touch
- increased tiredness
- a fever that keeps returning
- a limp but no injury.
Conditions can be acute (starting suddenly or short-lived) or chronic (lasting longer but not necessarily forever). JIA is considered a chronic condition because the joints involved are inflamed for at least 6 weeks and while treatment can alleviate the symptoms it does not lead to a ‘cure’. This means that when a child is diagnosed with JIA, it is impossible to say exactly how long the condition will last. JIA can continue for months or years. Sometimes the symptoms go away, usually after treatment. This is called remission. Remission may last for months, years, or for a lifetime. Up to 50% of children with JIA may go into full remission before adulthood.
How common is JIA?
JIA affects at least one child in every 1,000 in Australia. There are at least 5,000 children in Australia with JIA.
This information sheet is about Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), its cause, treatment and what it may mean for your child and your family.
Hearing that your child has JIA can be a shock because people think that arthritis is a condition that only affects older people. You may feel overwhelmed by the diagnosis of JIA. This is normal – there are lots of things to think about. You will probably have many questions. You may like to make a list of questions to ask your child’s rheumatologist or rheumatology nurse educator at your next appointment. You may need to hear the answers several times. That’s OK. It is important for you and your child to know about JIA.
What causes JIA?
We do not know the causes of JIA. However, we do know it is an auto-immune condition. Our bodies have an immune system which fights germs or viruses to keep us healthy. Sometimes the body’s immune system mistakes a normal part of the body for something foreign (like a germ), and starts attacking the body itself. In JIA the immune system attacks the joints. This is called an auto-immune process. We don’t understand precisely how, or why this happens.
JIA is not hereditary – it is not passed on from parent to child. It is rare for two children in the same family to have JIA, although this can happen. Genes do play a role, but are only one of a number of factors necessary to develop JIA.
Having JIA is no one’s fault. There is nothing that anyone has done, or not done that caused JIA. There are myths that JIA is caused by being too cold, by living in a cold climate or eating particular foods. None of these actually contribute to a child getting JIA.
ORGANISATIONS:
Australian Rheumatology Association
Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick Network
