Can children have arthritis ?
Yes, children can have arthritis.
What field deals with joint pains and arthritis in children ? what is Pediatric rheumatology ?
Pediatric rheumatologyis a specialised field which deals with children having arthritis and other rheumatic diseases eg : Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Lupus in children etc
Example of a child with juvenile arthritis
An 11 year old male child presented with swelling of his left Achilles heel (a tendon at the back of ankle) since last 3 years (see images below). The parents thought that everything started after a possible trauma with a bat. They had been showing a Pediatric orthopedic (children orthopedic) who also thought that the patient has non specific pain and managed it conservatively. Subsequently patient developed pain and swelling in right heel also since last 1 year. The parents again thought that it was non specific pain due to some ankle twist. The patient and the parents possibly didn’t even mention the new pain on right side to the orthopedic doctor. The patient later developed significant pain and swelling in his right knee. On asking he also had pain in lower back region. We did few more tests including HLA-B27 and MRI of his lower back region. The final diagnosis was Juvenile enthesitis related arthritis (JIA – ERA). Despite explaining for half an hour, the father didn’t seemed convinced. He did not believe that a child can have arthritis. Hence, we are writing this to create awareness.
What is rheumatology and arthritis field ?
Rheumatology
is a field which deals with diagnosis and treatment of various kinds of autoimmune diseases, many of which have arthritis.
Arthritis with inflammation can occur at any age including children and young adults. There are many arthritis or rheumatic diseases which can occur in children. Pediatric (children specialists) rheumatologists specialise to deal with these diseases. Rheumatologists are doctor different from orthopaedic doctors. We have explained the difference between two in the following link
Many times a child can have arthritis due to some serious underlying disease. Hence, it becomes important to show a specialist for these kinds of problems.
How can I get more information on pediatric rheumatology, arthritis and joint pains in children ?
Pediatric rheumatology international organisation (PRINTO) has specifically developed a website in hindi and many other languages. It gives information on various possible arthritis and rheumatology diseases in children. The link is here.
Some common or well-known arthritis or rheumatic diseases or painful issues in children (mostly related to joints and bone) are as follows :
- Juvenile (Childhood age) idiopathic arthritis
- Juvenile (Childhood age) spondyloarthritis (SpA) or Enthesitis related arthritis (ERA) or HLA B 27 related diseases in children
- Painful disorders in children – hip pain, Rickets, hypermobility disorders, osteochondritis, toxic hip synovitis, Legg-Calve perthe’s disease, arthritis due to malignancies etc
- Rheumatic fever (Please understand that rheumatic fever is not rheumatoid arthritis and they are two very different diseases)
- Systemic Lupus erythematosus
- Vasculitis types – Henoch-Schonlein purpura (IgA vasculitis), Rare vasculitis
- Autoinflammatory diseases
Does your child has any joint pains or rheumatic disease ? Let us know if you have any questions.
Author: Dr Nilesh Nolkha, Rheumatologist
Dr Nilesh Nolkha is a rheumatologist who strongly believes in patient education and empowering patients to make rational treatment decisions. He is a practicing rheumatology consultant in Wockhardt hospital, Mumbai.
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