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Arthritis can be one of the worst diseases in the world today because it affects anyone at any age. However, it is more likely that middle-aged people will be able to experience it because their health may have already been deteriorated over the years. In rare cases, arthritis can also be found in young children, thus, it is called "Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis."
There are only a few children who have been positively diagnosed with arthritis. Though rare in nature, it may lead to permanent disabilities which they would suffer for the rest of their lives. That is why it is advisable that when children complain about joint pains or other joint-related problems, they should immediately be checked by a doctor so that while the disease is still in its initial stages, it will be prevented from causing further damages.
Furthermore, proper diagnosis is needed to know what category the arthritis belongs. There are four categories that this disease can be classified into--systematic arthritis, oligoarthritis (persistent), oligoarthritis (extended) and the psoriatic arthritis.
- Systematic Arthritis - generally, it affects children of any gender 5 years and below, however, female children are most likely to develop this category of arthritis.
- Oligoarthritis (persistent) - it is proven to be the most common kind of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis which mainly affects the knees, wrists and ankles of female children. The worse thing is, it can cause permanent blindness to the sufferer.
- Oligoarthritis (extended) - it may be rare but it is also a destructive type of arthritis in children which destroys all joints in the body within 6 months.
- Psoriatic Arthritis - this the worst of all arthritis types since it can lead to unwanted death of the affected patient. It may be caused by an infection in the body or by systematic diseases.
Apparently, children can have arthritis as well that is why, it pays a lot to learn how your children are feeling about their joints. |