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Executive Director Deborah Jackson, of Northern California Arthritis Foundation, recently joined me as part of a Health Focus television show, inaugurated by Vallejo Community Access Television.

July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation.

As a rheumatologist, I see arthritic diseases afflicting our community, at all ages.

The kids with arthritis, however, tend to garner less attention.

Consider the impact of arthritis, for Americans of all ages.

Dr. Sharad Lahhanipal, president of the American College of Rheumatology, recently wrote that arthritis is common, expensive and a leading cause of disability.

One in four adults carry this diagnosis, to a tune of $81 billion in annual medical expenses. Although 32 million arthritis sufferers are between the ages of 18 and 64 years, we also see 300,000 youths whose lives are challenged by this diagnosis.

Clinical assessment by an experienced clinician, combined with state-of-the art treatments, can combine to minimize disabling complications.

Arthritis, which is inflammation of a joint, is typically managed by a team approach, involving primary care doctors, rheumatologists, physical therapists and perhaps, orthopedic surgeons and other specialists.

In the case of pediatric rheumatology, there is a sub-specialty within a sub-specialty, which conveys expertise specific to the arthritic conditions of kids, typically under the age of 16.

We tend to find pediatric rheumatologists in academic medical centers.

There is a national shortage of both adult and pediatric specialists in this field, as the baby boomer physicians begin to retire. So many pediatric patients with arthritis are likely to encounter generalists, adult rheumatologists and pediatricians as therapeutic allies.

The term juvenile arthritis is itself somewhat simplistic.

Without getting too far into the weeds of medical jargon, rheumatologists are interested in distinguishing between inflammatory and non-inflammatory joint disease.

Adults often wear out their joints, due to sports injuries or degenerative processes. Pediatric arthritis may involve infiltration of the joint with inflammatory cells and cellular messengers called cytokines.

Historically, we often used anti-inflammatory drugs, prednisone or methotrexate. More sophisticated biologic agents now supplement or entirely replace many of these older therapies.

Every medicine, however, confers potential side effects, including those associated with attenuating healthy immune responses. It is easy to see why pediatric rheumatologists have a tough job.

Leaving aside treatment, diagnosis of pediatric arthritis is not always straightforward. Ranging from systemic to pauci-articular, a few joints involved, to pediatric forms of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or muscle inflammation, we are confronted with an array of possible diagnoses within the pediatric arthritis umbrella.

Carefully tailored treatment and monitoring is necessary in the management of these conditions.

Some kids with arthritis also require regular monitoring by ophthalmologists, as subtle forms of inflammation may even threaten vision.

Jackson informed us that the Arthritis Foundation is sponsoring numerous activities, relative to juvenile arthritis.

Camp Kids allows youngsters to enjoy outdoor activities and to interact with peers facing similar challenges.

We discussed the fact that a child with arthritis still fulfills all the usual roles of youth, including student, emerging adult and family member.

The Arthritis Foundation also runs Team Retreat, which is more of a family oriented and comprehensive experience. Myriad services and activities sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation are by no means confined to one month of the calendar year.

What might we, as individuals, do to support Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month?

The Arthritis Foundation maintains a website (arthritis. org), with specific information with regard to the activities discussed. They welcome inquiries about further involvement by the community.

Educating ourselves about the importance of juvenile arthritis is a first step.

You are already ahead of many, simply by reading these few words. Thanks!

Scott T. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D. (email [emailprotected]), is clinical professor at UC Davis Medical School. This column is informational and does not constitute medical advice.

Originally posted here:
Educate yourself as Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month approaches - Fairfield Daily Republic

This entry was posted on June 11, 2017 at 12:41 pm and is filed under Arthritis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |