Do kids “outgrow” JDMS?
Most kids diagnosed before puberty (on the order of 95-98% of them) will eventually go into “permanent remission”, a state where there are no clinical symptoms, no abnormal lab results, and no medication being given for some period of time (say, a year). Most of these go on to lead normal, healthy adult lives. Some kids do have lingering problems; most of those are kids who were not diagnosed promptly and/or treated aggressively. Long-term complications include muscle damage and calcium deposits (Calcinosis) under the skin that may be motion-limiting or painful. Recent studies show that early, aggressive treatment of JDMS is the strongest indicator of good outcome (permanent remission) and disease duration. Most cases that have long-term problems seem to be the ones that took the longest to diagnose and treat.
Most kids diagnosed before puberty will eventually go into “permanent remission”, a state where there are no clinical symptoms, no abnormal lab results, and no medication being given for some period of time (say, a year). Most of these go on to lead normal, healthy adult lives. Some kids do have lingering problems; most of those are kids who were not diagnosed promptly and/or treated aggressively. Long-term complications include muscle damage and calcium deposits (Calcinosis) under the skin that may be motion-limiting or painful. Recent studies show that early, aggressive treatment of JDMS is the strongest indicator of good outcome (permanet remission) and disease duration. Most cases that have long-term problems seem to be the ones that took the longest to diagnose and treat.
