p>The most common form of arthritis in children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Many children with the disease have remissions and recurrences. Some children experience little or no permanent damage as they grow. Yet in some cases there are serious complications in the form of eye disease and even blindness. Early and proper diagnosis is essential to prevent complications.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may begin with a high fever, rash, and a sick-all-over feeling. It can affect the heart, liver, and spleen and chiefly affects joints in the fingers, ankles, knees, elbows, hips, and feet, causing inflammation, pain and some degree of immobility

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is sometimes called a hidden handicap. A child may show few outward signs of disease because the damage and pain are inside the body. In sonic cases, however, the damage interferes with normal growth. A child may be small for her or his age, have a receding lower jaw, walk with a stiff gait, or have some joint deformity in the wrists and fingers.

Treatment

Each case of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is unique and what the doctor recommends for each child depends on the severity and pattern of the disease, the age of the girl or boy, and what joints and other parts of the body are affected.

Treatment may require a long time and may include medication, frequent eye examinations, heat treatments, rest and special exercises, splints to be worn at certain times, and possibly surgery. A variety of anti-inflammatory drugs is used. Aspirin is the most frequently prescribed medication for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis because it reduces inflammation in the joints and relieves pain. To get the best results from aspirin, some children with arthritis must regularly take large doses, even after pain and inflammation have subsided. Youngsters vary in their tolerance for aspirin, and parents should be sure that they are administering aspirin to their children only as prescribed and under the guidance of their physician.