ABOUT JUVENILE ARTHRITIS
WHAT CAN YOU DO
FOR KIDS!
CAN YOU PRONOUNCE
JUVENILE ARTHRITIS?
JOO-VU-NILE
ARE-THA-RYE-TIS
WHAT IS
JUVENILE ATHRITIS?
Juvenile Arthritis is pain that
happens between your bones.
WHY DO KIDS
GET IT?
Just like dinosaurs in the past, we
don’t know all the answers yet. It
can happen for many reasons!
Sometimes it can affect you, but
not others in your family. Other
times, it can be passed down
within your family. measure at 8 metres wide, which is
TO FEEL BETTER?
The best way to take care of your
arthritis is to start treatment early!
Here’s a list of things to do to help
yourself feel better:
¨ Warm up your stiff and sore joints
by taking a warm bath!
¨ Exercise! Try sports like swimming
and bike-riding.
JUVENILE
¨ Be friends with an occupational
ARTHRITIS
therapist! Let them show you
some tips and tricks to get moving Your quick resource to understanding
in your daily activities! Juvenile Arthritis
¨ Eat some healthy meals! Some
dinosaurs like broccoli, hopefully
you do too!
FUN FACT!
The largest dinosaur bones are the
hips of a supersaurus. They
almost as tall as a giraffe!
 WHAT IS JUVENILE
ARTHRITIS?
Juvenile Arthritis is the inflammation of joints
in children and youth.
Unfortunately, there is no cure.
WHY DOES JUVENILE
ARTHRITIS HAPPEN?
The cause for Juvenile Arthritis is still not
entirely known.
WHO DOES JUVENILE
ARTHRITIS AFFECT?
Juvenile Arthritis occurs in those under the
age of 16 years. Risk factors include:
¨ Girls (4x over boys)
¨ Certain illnesses, infections, injuries,
allergic/drug reactions or autoimmune
diseases (thyroid disease, diabetes,
inflammatory bowel disease or lupus)
HOW DOES JUVENILE
ARTHRITIS HAPPEN?
Juvenile Arthritis is an autoimmune disease.
When white blood cells, leaders of fighting
infection, cannot tell the difference between
invader cells and their own cells, this results in
inflammation. The inflammation begins to wear
down the cartilage between bones and the
synovial fluid that cushions bones.
COMMON SIGNS & SYMPTOMS MANAGEMENT OF
OF JUVENILE ARTHRITIS JUVENILE ARTHRITIS
¨ Joint pain and swelling Since there is no cure for Juvenile Arthritis, the
Þ Redness, swelling, heat, or warmth goals for management are:
¨ Joint stiffness ① Relieving inflammation
Þ Especially in the morning ② Controlling pain
¨ Trouble with sleep ③ Improving quality of life
¨ Problems with walking
Þ Irritability, refusal to walk, may regress back to These goals can be achieved through medications,
crawling exercise, an overall healthy lifestyle, and
¨ Guarding or protecting a joint surgery (if needed in later stages)
¨ Fever
Þ Rapidly rises and falls once or twice a day ASSESSMENT & DIAGNOSIS
¨ Rash
Þ Spotty, flat, faint red or pink and may occur with the Multiple assessments will be performed to reach a
fever. Usually on the torso, face, palms, soles of feet, diagnosis; these include a family history, physical
and armpits exam, blood work, imaging, and a musculoskeletal
and pain assessment.
Juvenile Arthritis is diagnosed in those under 16
years who have continuous inflammation of at
least one joint for at least 6 weeks.
The onset is often unpredictable
with changes in symptoms, from periods
of remission to flare-ups HOW CAN YOU HELP
YOUR CHILD?
You can observe changes such as stiff
movement, avoiding movement, or
rubbing a joint/muscle
¨ Encourage your child to verbalize any worsening
symptoms.
¨ Support your child through activities they enjoy.
¨ Help your child through some range-of-motion
exercises.
¨ Provide your child with healthy meals to
support growth and development.
¨ Join a JA support group for you and your child.