I just finished reading an article about a college figure skater with rheumatoid arthritis. First diagnosed in high school, she refuses to let the disease dictate her life and continues to skate. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.thecollegianur.com/2009/09/10/sophomore-battles-arthritis-keeps-figure-skating/

A college student myself, I found the article very interesting. It's easy to forget that teenagers can get arthritis, a condition we tend to associate with older people. Yet according to the National Institutes of Health, about 294,000 Americans under the age of 18 suffer from arthritis or another rheumatic condition. I decided to look into juvenile arthritis (JA), the most common form in children.

JA is a chronic autoimmune disease, though the severity varies from case to case. Its symptoms include joint swelling, pain and stiffness; a common sign of the condition is a morning limp caused by knee stiffness. For most children, JA progresses unevenly. Their symptoms can go into remission, then worsen suddenly. They can also develop high fevers or skins rashes.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, doctors classify JA into three separate types. The first, pauciarticular, involves only a few joints. It may cause eye inflammation, which is treatable but could lead to blindness if left alone. The second polyarticular, affects five or more joints, usually on the same side of the body. The third, systemic, causes a rash and inflamed internal organs, in addition to swelling, pain and limited motion in at least one joint.

Researchers are still not sure what causes JA. They think certain genes predispose people to the condition, and something environmental triggers it. It's rare, however, for more than one child in a family to be diagnosed with JA.  

People used to think children outgrew JA. However, half the children with JA would remain arthritic 10 years after their diagnosis if not aggressively treated. Treatment includes medication, physical therapy and in rare cases, surgery to improve joint positioning.

The article I read today highlights some of the challenges JA sufferers face, but it also shows you don't have to let a diagnosis stop you. Pretty inspiring!