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Arthritis doesn't only affect older people - children can get it too, in different forms. JIA is only one type of juvenile arthritis. In most cases, they recover with few long-term problems. This article was last reviewed by Gill Jenkins in July 2012.
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Oligoarticular JIA - the most common kind of JIA affecting two thirds of cases, which often starts at the age of two or three. The problem is limited to only a few joints, most commonly the knees. It is often mild and transient, leaving no damage. However, there is an associated risk of inflammation of the eye (' chronic anterior uveitis') which can affect vision but doesn't cause redness of the eye, so regular eye checks are important if you have this type of JIA.
Polyarticular JIA - this type of JIA affects more joints, usually the small joints of the hands and feet as well as the hips, knees and neck. It can then spread over months to other joints and the child may feel generally unwell. It may continue into adulthood or may go into remission.
Extended oligoarthritis - starts as oligoarthritis but then spreads to other joints, possibly causing damage and requiring stronger drug therapies such as methotrexate. Ehthesitis-related JIA - this form of JIA affects the areas of the bone where the tendons attach, particularly in the leg and spine. It can cause stiffness and there may be a family history of HLA-B27related bowel disease or ankylosing spondylitis (another inflammatory joint condition). This form can cause a different type of uveitis where this is redness of the eye.
Psoriatic Arthritis - this form of JIA is associated with the skin disease 'psoriasis' but the inflamed joints may occur before the skin rash or nail changes of psoriasis. If typically affects the finger and toe joints, but can affect any joint and is also associated with a non-red uveitis.
Systemic onset JIA - the rarest type of JIA, affects the whole body, and can cause general malaise, fever and rashes, enlarged glands and even pericarditis as well as, often late in the disease, inflamed and painful joints. It usually starts in children under five but can affect children of any age.
Undifferentiated arthritis - some children don't fit any of the above patterns but still have inflamed joints. About one in 1,000 children has arthritis. In many cases, the inflammation stops in late childhood, but about one-third of children affected have problems that last into their adult life.
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Symptoms depend on the type of arthritis and joints affected but include painful, swollen, stiff and tender joints, an acute illness with fever and lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss and refusal to use the affected joint or limb. In systemic arthritis there may be high fever, rash, swollen glands and muscle pain lasting for at least two weeks, sometimes associated with anaemia and inflammation of other organs, including the heart or eye. Joints may develop deformities over time.
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