GENERAL ARTHRITIS IN CHILDREN

General Arthritis in Children

Children having arthritis find it difficult to cope up with the disease and various treatments are done with the aim at restoring the functional activity of the child. Arthritis is a common term by which all is familiar with and causes pain, inflammation, loss of function of joints, stiffness etc. The general arthritis develops in about 1 in every 1000 children. This disease occurs from the time of birth to 16 years of age. The most common form of arthritis which affects the children is known as juvenile arthritis.

The exact cause of general arthritis is not known but the inheritance of specific genes is one of the causes of increasing the risk of arthritis in children. There are different types of arthritis which exist in children and they are:-

Systemic onset arthritis

Enthesitis related arthritis

Oligoarthritis

Psoriatic arthritis

Polyarticular arthritis

Extended oligoarthritis

It usually occurs in young girls as compared to young boys. Children having general arthritis develop more chances of inflammation of the inner eye. Limping can be seen more in young girls due to different rate of growth of bones of two lower limbs. The children can also develop anemia. Children often complain with pains and aches in the joints. Some problems are self-limiting which does not require any specific treatment.

The child having arthritis in childhood that persists for several weeks and as a result there is swelling and pain in the joints then the child should be taken to the doctor or a specialist. The diagnosis of general arthritis in children includes various tests and a thorough physical examination is done. It should not be confused with another disease known as rheumatic fever whose symptoms looks like same. So, a great care should be taken while diagnosing general arthritis in children.

The treatment of this disease depends on its type. The main aim of the treatment is to keep the joints in moving position by reducing pain, swelling and stiffness. Certain pain relievers such as paracetamol and some anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, aspirin, indomethacin etc can be given to the child in case of severe pain or minor forms of general arthritis.

In some cases, disease modifying drugs such as anti-malarial drugs, cyclosporine etc and corticosteroids can be given to the child and if not used properly then it can cause side effects too. Exercises and physiotherapy helps the child to keep the muscles strong and movement of the joints.