Juvenile arthritis: Causes, symptoms, treatment and all you need to know about arthritis in children

In many cases, arthritis in children or juvenile arthritis is ignored considering it as ‘growing pains’ or injury while playing. Here's all you need to know about the causes, symptoms, treatment and tests

Everyone knows that arthritis is a joint-related condition that happens in old age but we would never consider knee, hip, or wrist pain in children as arthritis. Agreed that arthritis is not common in children however, the lack of awareness causes delayed diagnosis and a subsequent delay in treatment as well hence, the condition is called juvenile arthritis which occurs in children under 16 years of age but the exact cause is unknown.

In many cases, juvenile arthritis is ignored considering it as “growing pains” or injury while playing and though we do not have the exact estimates of the number of cases in our country, it is believed that the incidence is 0.07-10/1000 individuals. We could assume that approximately 1.3 million Indian children suffer from the condition.

Talking about the symptoms in an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Pradeep Mahajan, Regenerative Medicine Researcher at StemRx Bioscience Solutions Pvt Ltd in Navi Mumbai, revealed, “Sometimes, juvenile arthritis is accompanied by spiking fevers for more than 2 weeks, accompanied by at least one of the following: a rash, arthritis, lymphadenopathy, or hepatosplenomegaly. This condition is called systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. However, most of these symptoms could signify multiple diseases, including flu, bacterial infections, typhoid, chikungunya, etc. all of which are more prevalent in our country—thus the diagnosis of JA is delayed.”

About the tests and treatment for juvenile arthritis, he said, “There are no standard tests to diagnose the condition. Diagnosis is based on the history of the pain (persistent pain for at least 6 weeks) and blood and X-ray investigations. Conventionally, pain medications, steroids, disease-modifying agents, vitamin supplements, etc. are given to control the symptoms, inflammation, and slow the course of the disease. This is combined with physiotherapy and even surgery in extreme cases. However, these treatments do not cure the patient, thus one has to continue the medications life-long, which can be associated with side effects and other complications. Moreover, the quality of life of young individuals is significantly affected and it could be considered a social stigma as well.”

Advising everyone, including children, to undergo annual health checks so that any disease can be identified right at the start, Dr Pradeep Mahajan said, “The patients with JA can be treated through a unique regenerative medicine approach. The belief is that the root cause of a problem must be identified and corrected using natural molecules. Keeping this in mind, the treatments involve cells, growth factors, exosomes and peptides, all of which are part of our own body and several allied approaches that holistically work to manage a condition.”

He revealed, "Cell, growth factor and exosome-based therapies are showing tremendous potential. These biological molecules have several functions, such as reducing inflammation, regulating the immune system, maintaining the internal balance (homeostasis) of the body, enhancing the function of other cells, repairing tissue damage and providing a constant pool of healthy cells, etc. All these can be extremely beneficial and safe in JA, as all the pathologies of the disease are addressed. Through such molecular therapies, we can ensure long-term results and enable children to live a pain-free life without the need for life-long medications or surgery.”