What are the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in children?

Many people don’t know that children can also get rheumatoid arthritis, and many people think that this disease only affects adults. However, the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in children is also very high. This is when children's joints are in the development stage. If children suffer from joint trauma or a humid environment, they are likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis. The onset of the disease is different for each child. They will have symptoms such as cold, fever, pharyngitis, etc. a week before the onset of the disease. Joint stiffness, redness, swelling and pain will appear a week later. Parents should send their children to the hospital for treatment in time. Rheumatoid arthritis is prone to recurrence, and it can basically be cured if it is eliminated as soon as possible.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

1. Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

About 20% of JRA patients show this type. There are prominent extra-articular symptoms and arthritis symptoms, and systemic symptoms include remittent warmth, rash, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, pericarditis, pleurisy, abdominal pain, leukocytosis, and anemia. Disseminated intravascular coagulation occasionally occurs.

2. Rheumatoid factor-negative polyarticular JRA Rheumatoid factor-negative polyarticular JRA. In 20% to 30% of JRA patients, multiple joints are affected within a few months of onset without obvious systemic manifestations. And RF test was negative. There are at least 4 affected joints, and almost all joints except the spinal joints may be affected. Even the small joints of the hands and feet, the cervical vertebrae, and the hip joints are not uncommon. Joint symptoms are often manifested as swelling, pain, warmth, tenderness, and movement disorders. When the finger and toe joints are affected, there is typical fusiform swelling; when the temporomandibular joints are involved, there is difficulty in opening the mouth. Young children may complain of ear pain. If the disease lasts for a long time, it may affect local development and cause micrognathia. Involvement of the laryngeal arytenoids (cricoid cartilage-arytenoid cartilage) may cause hoarseness, laryngeal wheezing and difficulty eating. Some children have particularly obvious joint movement disorders in the morning, which is called morning stiffness. The affected joints are usually not red. There may be a large amount of exudate in the joint cavity. Obvious periosteal inflammation makes joint symptoms very prominent.

Rheumatoid arthritis knows no age limit and is difficult to cure. It has severe recurrences. Once a child is suffering from it, it will cause serious harm to his future life. Scientific prevention is also crucial. Parents should pay attention to the cleanliness and dryness of the room. Children should not sleep on the floor in summer and drink too much cold drinks, which will damage the stomach and intestines and make them prone to colds. It is good for children's health to go out to bask in the sun appropriately, use less air conditioning, and do more activities.