What Are the Symptoms and Signs of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The most common symptom of all types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is persistent joint swelling, pain, and stiffness that typically is worse in the morning or after a nap. The pain may limit movement of the affected joint although many children, especially younger ones, will not complain of pain. juvenile rheumatoid arthritis commonly affects the knees and joints in the hands and feet. One of the earliest signs of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis may be limping in the morning because of an affected knee. Besides joint symptoms, children with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis have a high fever and a light skin rash. The rash and fever may appear and disappear very quickly. Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis also may cause the lymph nodes located in the neck and other parts of the body to swell. In some cases (less than half), internal organs including the heart and, very rarely, the lungs may be involved. Eye inflammation is a potentially severe complication that sometimes occu
