Conventional and Holistic Measures

Usually a doctor will say a couple of things must be done at the same time to treat the child with polyarticular arthritis. One thing that can be done is to take medicine; another is to get exercise; and still another is physical therapy. What one child needs differs from what another child needs.

Drugs

There are different kinds of medications to help these children. Some of these are:

• Analgesics are a kind of fast-acting medicine that helps with pain. It does not treat irritation, which is the cause of pain. However, it will reduce pain for about 6 hours. Some mild analgesics can be bought at the local drug store. These include Tylenol and Motrin.

  You should be careful if you with an analgesic that you buy at the drug store. Make sure to follow the directions on it.

• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are also called NSAIDs. This kind of medicine will treat both the pain and the irritation that caused the pain. You can buy a mild NSAID at your drug store. One example is Advil (ibuprofen).
• Steroids can reduce irritation and the pain that it causes for awhile. These are available only by prescription.
• Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) can slow down how fast this arthritis progresses. This is because this medication can reduce irritation. By doing so, joints and cartilage will not be destroyed. These drugs will take a long time to work. Only a doctor can give this kind of medicine. It is usually given with a NSAID so that pain can also be controlled.
• Biological Response Modifiers (BRMs) are a new kind of medication. They help to stop the body from destroying its joints. The most common name of such a medication is Enbrel. It is often used when a Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug does not work.

Holistic

Physical therapy can really help these children feel better, in important ways. There are some activities and exercises that these children must do in order to feel better. For example, movements that help them be more flexible. Therapies can also help them to grow strong muscles. Exercise can keep joints moving easily.

Some suggestions physical therapists make to children are to go swimming, go for a walk, or use an indoor stationary bike. The physical therapist will also teach the child how to stretch before doing these exercises. This is important so that the muscles are kept healthy.

Sometimes there are things that they will not be allowed to do. For example: high-impact sports, like football. This is because it can really damage any weak joints and bones.

Natural Remedies

Sometimes these kids also need natural therapy. For instance, they need less stress in their lives so that they will feel better. This is why doctors should teach them how to relax and take care of their stress.

Foods and Dietary Supplements

Doctors may also tell children that they should eat more of certain kinds of foods. They may really tell a child they need a lot of calcium. This is because research has shown that these foods could make them feel better. Some foods that doctors tell these children to eat are:

Doctors also tell children to eat more unsalted nuts and seeds such as:

Usually when children are helped to do these things, they feel better. It may take a lot of work to do this but it is worth it.

Medications Commonly Prescribed

Doctors may also prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to help a child cope with arthritis. These are called NSAIDs. The most common NSAID for children is Motrin. Motrin can get rid of pain or at least make it manageable.

Sometimes prescription NSAIDs are also used. The most common medications that doctors are writing prescriptions for are Sulfasalazine, Methotrexate, and Enbrel. These medicines can help a child but they cannot be taken for a long time since they will stop a child from growing right and make them have weak bones. These drugs can be taken by mouth or if only one joint is in need of the drug, then the drug can be given by shot in that joint.

There are also drugs used for treating a child’s fever, rash, anemia, and eye problems.

Doctors may suggest that a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) be used if NSAIDs do not work. DMARDs slow down how fast arthritus progresses. These take a long time to start working though. This is why they are most often taken with an NSAID. The most common DMARD that is used is Methotrexate. This is a safe drug since a child only has to take a very small amount of it to have results.

If a child is really having a lot of pain then their doctor may prescribe Corticosteroids. The most common one that is prescribed is Prednisone. This can interfere with a child’s growth though, so a lot of doctors don’t like to use it unless the symptoms are severe enough that it has to be used.

Alternative and Natural Therapies

Specialists also suggest alternative therapy methods. While these are experimental, many of them do work.

There are some natural ways to help a child with systemic arthritis. These are good since they will do no harm. You do need to really pay attention to see what actually works. This is because the symptoms of arthritis come and go. Whatever you decide is best for your child is up to you. One of the most important things to do here is to make sure that your child’s life is as normal as it can be.

Some doctors will recommend changes in your child’s diet so that you can improve their nutrition. These doctors will tell you to not let your child have any casein or gluten. This means that your child will not be allowed to eat milk, milk products, wheat, oats, barley, or rye. While this may sound like it is hard to do, it is not.

There are a lot of foods on the market today that are the same as “normal” products but they do not contain the ingredients that you are trying to avoid. For instance there are noodles, special milk, macaroni n cheese, and even pizza that you can buy that have no milk or gluten in them. These things taste just like they would taste if they did have milk or gluten in them. This will help your child feel “normal.”

Exercise – Good or Harmful?

When a child is feeling good, he or she should be encouraged to exercise. This is important so that they will have strong muscles and grow healthy. A parent should not become so protective of their child that the parent will not let the child run and play. Of course, you may not want to let your child play tackle football, but your child should be allowed to play something like baseball instead.

Physical therapy can also be used. A physical therapist may also suggest splints to help with normal bone and joint growth.

Topical Treatments

There are also some creams on the market today that are said to help with arthritis. Some of these creams do work. You need to be careful though. Most of these creams have been created for adults who have arthritis. So, if you decide to use a cream you will want to ask your doctor how you should use it on your child.

Living With Systemic Juvenile Arthritis

It is important to know that arthritis can vary from day to day. For this reason, a parent should do what works best each day for their child. No matter what it is that you do, you need to make sure a doctor checks your child on a regular basis. Your child will also need to have a doctor keep an eye on their eyes. This is to make sure that your child does not develop an eye irritation.

Pain, Swelling and the Fever Connection

Usually the pain is the worst in the morning because of the stiffness that comes from sleeping. The pain and swelling come after a two-week fever. This fever is really bad in the afternoons and evenings.

Some of these children also have a pink rash on their thighs and lower bodies. This rash may come and go. Since it is not always there, parents need to be sure that they see it when it is there so that they can tell their child’s doctor. It can also be helpful for the doctor to know what was going on before this rash was seen on the child’s body.

There are also times when this fever and rash may go on for a couple of years before the child gets swollen joints and pain. However, this joint pain and swelling has to be present for at least six weeks before a doctor will diagnose a child with Systemic arthritis.

Limping Could be a Sign

A child with this condition may also have low back pain. These children may limp or refuse to use an arm or leg because they say that it hurts. For this reason, children who use to be very active may now be very inactive. Sometimes this is because these children are anemic. This means that there are low levels of the red blood cells that carry oxygen into the child’s body. Anemia will make the child weak and tired.

There are also other parts inside of the body that can be affected. These are the child’s immune system and internal organs. The organs that are affected most are the heart, spleen and liver.

Eye Diseases

Another problem that these children have is with their eyes. Their eyes can become very irritated. These children can also get eye diseases. One of these eye diseases is called iritis. This is when the black part of the eye becomes very irritated. Another of these eye diseases is called uveitis. This is when the middle part of the eye becomes very irritated. A child will not have any big problems with their eyes before they get Systemic arthritis.

Doctors will sometimes do a blood test on these children, to check for this disability. The doctors are looking for rheumatoid factor. This is what a person who has rhumatoid arthritus has. They are also looking for antinuclear antibody. This is something that happens when the body attacks its own organs. Doctors know that a child with systemic arthritis will not have either of these things in their blood. Other things that doctors will do whenever they are diagnosing a child is take X-rays, do a good exam, and really look at the child’s past medical history.

Allergy Connection

A lot of doctors also believe that this disorder is caused by an allergy to something that the child is eating. The most common allergy that these children have is milk and milk products. This is because milk has something in it called casein. This is a protein that is found inside of milk. It can also be found in nondairy products too. Casein can make a person stiff, sore and have headaches. A lot of times, when children give up milk and milk products they no longer feel stiff, sore, or have headaches.

Something else that can irritate them is gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, and rye — oats, too, though typically through processing cross-contamination. Other common food allergies for these children are corn and some things that are added to food, especially MSG and Aspartame. MSG is a type of salt. Aspartame is a kind of fake sugar.

The reason that doctors believe that systemic arthritis is caused by allergies to food is because all of the joints of the body are involved. This means that there cannot be a physical reason for this and so it is a chemical reason.

Most of the time this will not change into rheumatoid arthritis later on. However, if these problems are not taken care of in children, then they will have these problems throughout their life. If these juveniles are taken care of, then most of the time they will not have any problems when they grow up.

Diagnosing Juvenile Pauciarticular Arthritis

More than half of the children who get arthritis receive a pauciarticular arthritis diagnosis. It begins before the age of five and mostly affects girls. Usually it is diagnosed between the age of 2 and 3. It is the mildest form of arthritis. It is also very hard to diagnose this arthritis.

———Editor’s Note ————————————————–

pauci means “few,” as in paucity, pauper

articular means “joint,” like articulating, articulation

Thus, pauciarticular means affecting few joints. In the instance of a clinical diagnosis, four or fewer joints must be affected.
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Symptoms

It causes pain in four or fewer joints. The joints that are usually triggered here are the bigger joints like the knees, ankles, and wrists. These joints may be only mildly swollen or have no swelling at all. For this reason, children may not even complain that they are in pain.

When swelling occurs for more than three months, a doctor usually considers arthritis. Since it’s so hard to really notice, parents need to watch their kid closely if a limp develops or the child starts to favor a part of their body.

Eye Disease

Some kids will also get eye disease. It starts early in life. An eye disease will follow them into adulthood. A lot of those who have eye disease also have antinuclear antibody. This is something that attacks the cells in the body. It is found in the blood so your doctor will have to test your child’s blood. An eye doctor will need to watch their eyes so that more serious problems do not develop.

There are two things that can happen. First, the colored part of the eye can become irritated. Second, the black part of the eye can become irritated. This is why it is very important to have your kid’s eyes checked three or four times a year. If your kid has this arthritis, tell your eye doctor. Your eye doctor will use a slit-lamp to look at your child’s eyes to make sure that they are fine.

Testing for Arthritis

Diagnosing arthritis requires blood work to be done. Doctors check a kid’s blood for the rheumatoid factor. This is something that is found in the blood of someone who has rheumatoid arthritis. Most kids with pauciarticular arthritis will not have this in their blood. However, some kids do have it. These kids will continue to have problems with arthritis as adults. Blood work will also look at a kid’s white blood cell count, whether your kid is anemic and that your kid’s platelet level is not high.

The blood will look very normal. If not, then this type of arthritis is not what your kid has. After the blood work is done, the history of the kid also needs to be looked at very closely. The kid also needs to be examined very closely. The doctor will want to know when this started, when there is the most pain, and how long this has been happening.

After the history, an exam is done. The doctor wants to see if the joint is warm. The physician also wants to see if the joint is swelling, contributing to a loss of motion. In this way, the doctor is able to exclude anything else that may be wrong. It all leads to the doctor diagnosing your kid with pauciarticula arthritis.

There is usually no permanent damage from this variety of juvenile arthritus. Yet, a kid must be treated properly and as soon as possible. Usually these kids will be in remission within just a few years of their diagnosis. In this case, this arthritis will not occur again.