Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is often also referred to as Juvenile Idiopathic arthritis which implies that no causative factor or agent can be identified in most of the cases. However, some other hypothesis as to why Juvenile Rheumatoid arthritis develops also exists.
Many a times Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is caused by an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are those in which the body recognizes its own cells as a foreign body and triggers an immune reaction against them, in these cases many of the body structures are attacked by its own immune system producing inflammation. In the case of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis the joints are typically affected and an inflammatory process in the joints presents as joint swelling, pain, redness and occasional fever.
Many scientists are of the opinion that this is a 2 step process in which initially the child has a genetic tendency to develop Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) at some point in their childhood and often a triggering factor like a virus/bacteria etc. aids in the development of the disease; exposure to the virus activates the immune system however after deactivating the virus the immune system starts acting against the body’s own tissues (joints in this case) and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis develops.
The body’s immune system in general is supposed to protect against diseases and infections and helps generate cells that aid in the killing and elimination of foreign agents e.g. however sometimes in response to a virus or a bacteria the body’s immune system is hyper activated and it produces cells and chemicals that after eliminating the virus start attacking the body tissues, resulting in the disease. Also, a child’s genetic makeup is derived from that of his/her parents and if either parent has arthritis the child’s tendency to develop JRA is augmented. On the contrary it is also believed the genetic susceptibility is not the sole cause of JRA development, this fact is further seconded by the point that often only one child in a household is seen to develop JRA.
Although the exact cause of JRA cannot be identified in majority of the cases, it is commonly believed that it is not caused by foods, toxins, allergies, vitamin deficiencies and also JRA is not contagious- it cannot be transmitted from one patient to the other.
Since less is known about the pathogenesis of Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, preventive measures are hard to define. Effective management of JRA includes early recognition of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms, prompt and correct diagnosis and by fully understanding the symptoms of each subtype of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Early treatment can help a child attain a pain free, active and productive lifestyle with minimal residual disability.
