Rheumatism only affects old people? No, children also suffer from this disease. The most common form is rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammation of the joints, known in the trade as "Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis – JIA for short". Juvenile stands for "an onset before the age of 16. Year of life, idiopathic for "unknown cause", arthritis for "inflammation of the joints". Each year, about 1.200 children. Young people up to 16 years at JIA.200 children and adolescents up to 16 years of age suffer from JIA.
There are several forms of JIA:
– More than 50 percent of JIA patients suffer from oligoarthritis (oligo = few, arthritis = joint inflammation). The disease usually appears in infancy and affects few joints – often only the knee joint in the beginning. – Systemic arthritis affects around ten percent of JIA sufferers. It begins with high recurring fever. Pale red skin. Joints become inflamed. Internal organs. – In polyarthritis (poly = many), more than four joints become inflamed – typically finger and toe joints, as well as hand, knee and ankle joints. There are two types. In rheumatoid factor-negative polyarthritis, no rheumatoid factor can be detected in the blood – the disease, which often begins at preschool age, is correspondingly difficult to diagnose. In rheumatoid factor-positive polyarthritis, on the other hand, a rheumatoid factor can be detected. The disease develops mostly in adolescent girls. : This form of joint inflammation occurs with psoriasis. The arthritis can precede the Psoriasis however by years. Arthritis with tendency to enthesitis: In this form of rheumatism, knees usually become inflamed-. Ankle joints as well as tendon insertions – often at the heel. Mostly boys of school age are affected.