- See:
- Cervical Spine in JRA
- Upper Extremity: JRA
- Discussion:
- joints may appear worse than they feel;
- joint effusion may be only finding;
- child may walk on affected joint, despite swelling, warmth, & limitation of motion;
- there is greater ROM & less pain than seen w/ septic arthritis or trauma;
- disuse atrophy & weakness of adjacent muscles may be present;
- this disease differs from adult RA in the following respects
- arthritis is generally less destructive;
- more often involves cervical spine;
- fever, rash, leucocytosis, and lymphadenopathy with splenomegaly are common features;
- nodules are rare;
- pericarditis is common;
- iridiocyclitis occurs in about 8% of pts, and may be severe, leading to impairment of vision;
- growth retardation due to steroid treatment;
- hyperemia, disuse, and steroids lead to osteoporosis
- osteoporosis of JRA means that bone may be extemely fragile.
- failure of jaw development and stiffness of the TM joint may compound difficult intubation.