Improving Outcomes for Juvenile Arthritis Families

Arthritis is generally thought of as a disease that only affects older populations. However, there are juvenile versions of nearly all diseases under the AiArthritis umbrella. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), where the cause of the condition is unknown, is the most common type of juvenile arthritis with approximately 3 million cases worldwide*. Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month plays a critical role in shining a light on common misconceptions and working towards better solutions for juvenile arthritis patients and caregivers.

This July, we invite you to honor Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month by supporting our ongoing efforts to drive patient-led solutions in juvenile arthritis education, advocacy, and research. Furthermore, your support will help us distribute and expand our JIA Health Journey Communication Aids project -- currently in its pilot phase at Washington University's Rheumatology Department in St. Louis, MO!

When you join our efforts, you are a voice for juvenile arthritis patients everywhere. Your support enables us to continue and deepen our critical work.

*Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Symptoms Associated with JIA

Eye Inflammation: Uveitis; eye redness, pain, and blurred vision.

Appetite Changes:  Decreased appetite, poor weight gain, and slow growth.

Fever:  Varied grades of fever (high in systemic, low in other types).

Swollen Lymph Nodes:  Typically occurs in Systemic JIA or juvenile versions of Sjögren's Disease or Lupus.

Skin Changes: Rash, scaly red patches of skin.

Other AiArthritis Symptoms: Those with juvenile versions of other diseases under the AiArthritis disease umbrella may have symptoms specific to those diseases.

Common in All AiArthritis Diseases

Flares: Periods of worsening symptoms are called flares, which can last hours, days, weeks, or month.

Physical Activity:   Condition improves with activity and exercise and worsens with rest.

Comorbidities:   When inflammation is left uncontrolled due to lack of treatment, comorbidities can develop. 70% of patients with chronic, lifelong disease will develop comorbidities, including dual or triple diagnoses.

Family History:   Autoimmune diseases often run in families, indicating a potential genetic predisposition where that gene can cause disease. Autoinflammatory diseases can occur multiple times in a family, but is based off of genetic mutation.

"Auto" Symptoms

Fatigue: Severe fatigue or exhaustion that may not be helped by caffeine/stimulants and can happen even after a long period of rest.

Cognitive Dysfunction: Brain fog or periods of time where thinking gets clouded and it becomes difficult to concentrate.

Flu-like Symptoms: Without having the actual flu -- symptoms including nausea, muscle weakness, and general malaise.

Fever: Typically low grade in autoimmune (with exception of juvenile idiopathic arthritis) and higher grade in autoinflammatory (percent strongly varies per disease)

Reference: Early Symptoms of AiArthritis Study, AiArthritis, 2019

Inflammatory Arthritis Symptoms

Stiffness: Severe stiffness in one or more joints, especially in the morning or after sitting for long periods of time.

Joint Pain: Episodes of joint pain that may last for hours, days, or even weeks, that can appear and disappear suddenly. Often described as "jumping pain" into different locations.

Typically, the joint pain will coincide with one or more "Auto" symptoms and start and stop suddenly - for no apparent reason (which is called a "flare"). Some people will experience all of the above symptoms, others only a few.

If you have any of the arthritis features, and at least one of the "Auto" features, please consult your physician about a referral to a specialist.

JIA Health Journey Communication Aids Project

Washington University in St. Louis recommends that this tool be used in every Pediatric Rheumatology Practice!