Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Also called JIA, Juvenile arthritis, Childhood arthritis

Arthritis in children. Around 15,000 in the UK, and almost everybody assumes it is an old person's disease.

What it is

Most people do not know children get arthritis. That single gap is why parents are told for months that it is growing pains.

JIA is an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the joints, starting before the age of 16 and lasting more than six weeks. Around 15,000 children and young people in the UK have it.

There are several subtypes, and they behave differently. What they share is that early treatment changes the outcome substantially: modern drugs can put JIA into remission and prevent joint damage that used to be permanent.

Signs you might notice

Joint pain, swelling and stiffness, worst in the morning or after sitting still. Growing pains do not cause swelling or morning stiffness.

A limp first thing that eases through the day.

A child regressing: wanting to be carried again, or stopping using a hand.

Fever, rash and tiredness in the systemic subtype.

Uveitis, silent inflammation inside the eye, which causes no symptoms and can cause blindness. This is why eye screening is compulsory, not optional.

How it can affect day-to-day life

School is where the friction sits: writing, PE, stairs, carrying a bag, and a fatigue that teachers read as laziness because the child looks perfectly well.

Fatigue is the symptom children rate highest and adults notice least.

The eye screening is the thing families must not let slip. Uveitis in JIA gives no warning at all, and appointments get missed because the child seems fine.

Supporting someone well

Never miss the ophthalmology appointments. This is the highest-stakes practical instruction in this entry.

Keep moving. Rest stiffens joints; regular gentle movement, hydrotherapy and swimming all help.

Warmth in the morning: a bath or shower before school buys an easier start.

Get the school on board in writing: a second set of books, permission to leave lessons early to avoid corridors, laptop use, a realistic PE plan rather than exclusion.

Watch the transition to adult services at 16 to 18, which is where young people commonly fall out of care.

Where to get help

Ask a GP for an urgent paediatric rheumatology referral. Persistent joint swelling in a child is not a wait-and-see symptom.

Arthritis UK and JIA-at-NRAS both provide family support and school resources.