1. INTRODUCTION
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) a.k.a
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), Juvenile
Chronic Arthritis (JCA).
• A type of arthritis that causes joint
inflammation and stiffness for more than six
weeks in a child aged 16 or younger.

2. Types
• There are 3 main types of JRA:
1. Pauciarticular JRA (common)
= affects 4 or fewer joints
= a.k.a Oligoarticular JIA
2. Polyarticular JRA
= affects 5 or more joints
3. Systemic JRA (rare)
= the symptoms are not usually related to
joints; high fever, loss of appetite, weight loss,
swollen lymph node, liver and spleen and serious
anemia.

3. Etiology/Causes
• Exact causes of JRA – UNKNOWN
• Autoimmune disease – the immune system
that usually protect our body mistakenly
attack our body’s tissues.
• JRA – the immune system mistake one of the
linings in the joint; the synovium, as a foreign
invader and attempts to remove it by
attacking it cells with biological chemicals that
cause inflammations.

4. Risk Factors
• There are no clear risk factors for JRA.
• Factors that may be associated with some types
of JRA include:
– Girls are more likely to get JRA than boys
– Family history of:
• Anterior uveitis with eye pain
• Inflammatory back arthritis (ankylosing spondylitis)
• Inflammatory bowel disease
– Arthritis and a family history of psoriasis in a first-degree
relative (for psoriatic arthritis)

5. Sign & Symptoms
More marked in the morning; just after they
wake up.
May include:
 Swollen, red, or warm joint – lasts for 6 weeks
 Limping or problems using a limb
 Sudden high fever
 Rash (on trunk and extremities) that comes and goes
with fever
 Stiffness, pain, and limited movement in a joint
 Bodywide symptoms such as pale skin, swollen
lymph gland, and “sick” appearance.

6. JRA can also cause eye problems called uveitis
(inflammation on any part of the uvea of the
eye); iridocyclitis (inflammation of the iris and
ciliary body), or iritis (inflammation of the iris).
 There may be no symptoms. When eye
symptoms occur they can include:
Red eyes
Eye pain, which may get worse when looking at
light (photophobia).
Vision changes

7. Diagnosis
• Family history
• X-rays
• Laboratory tests on blood, urine, and/or joint
fluid:
– May be used to eliminate other health conditions
such as physical injury, infections, other
autoimmune diseases, and some forms of cancer
– Can also help to determine specific type of JRA
• Eye examinations—to look for swelling in the
eye

8. References
• Starkebaurn, G. A. (April 2013). Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Retrieved
on 16 April 2014 from:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000451.htm.
• MedlinePlus (January 2014). Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Retrieved
on 16 April 2014 from:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/juvenilerheumatoidarthritis.html.
• Lim, W. Y. (February 2010). Young, Painful Joints. Retrieved on 16 April
2014 from: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx/?file=
%2f2010%2f2%2f7%2fhealth%2f5531288&sec=health.
• Peacock, Judith. (2000). Juvenile Arthritis. Mankato, MN: LifeMatters
Books.
• Rudis, Jacquelyn. (2013). Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Diagnosis.
Retrieved on 16 April 2014 from:
http://pediatrics.med.nyu.edu/conditions-we-treat/conditions/juvenile-rheumatoid-
arthritis