Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Rheumtiod Arthritis

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Jack is a playful 7 year old boy who is active on his baseball team and enjoys riding his bike after school. He looks and acts just like all the other kids, but Jack is living with Juvenile idiopathic arthritis or JIA. Diagnosed within just the last year, he has found that this disease can be controlled and his active lifestyle is not affected.

At 26 years old, Jill finally talked to her doctor about her worsening joint pain and inflammation in her hands and wrists. Having noticed symptoms for the last few years, she was shocked to learn her symptoms were the result of an autoimmune disorder known as Rheumatoid Arthritis, or RA. With no other medical history, she also has taken the steps to ensure a healthy lifestyle.

Jack and Jill are not alone. It is estimated that one of every thousand children will develop JIA (Abramson, 2013), and more than 1.3 million American are living with RA (Ruderman & Tambar, 2012). There are significant advancements in these diseases in the promotion of health and wellness across the lifespan and in the roles and responsibilities of medical staff as well as patients living happy and healthy lives with arthritis. This paper will compare and contrast the different aspects of these diseases in relation to age, diagnostic processes, risk factors, and treatment with the support of scientific evidence.

The difference in age

Like many children his age, Jack’s day begins in a classroom setting with crayons, markers, and scissors. For a school aged child, making projects to take home can be all part of the day, but one rough day due to stiffness and pain, can make the use of scissors just about impossible. Last year he often refused to use his scissors and appeared to be defiant with completing his ...

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...discovered today.

Works Cited

Abramson, L. (2013). Arthritis in children. American College of Rheumatology. Retrieved from http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/juvenilearthritis.asp

Arthritis Foundation. (2013). National arthritis action plan. Retrieved from http://www.arthritis.org/about-us/naap/

Hahn, Y. & Kim, J. (2010, November 30). Pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Korean Journal of Pediatrics. 53(11). doi: 10.3345/kjp.2010.53.11.921

National Arthritis Action Plan. (1999). Arthritis Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.arthritis.org/files/images/Delia/NAAP_full_plan.pdf

Ruderman, E., & Tambar, S. (2012). Rheumatoid arthritis. American College of Rheumatology. Retrieved from http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/ra.asp

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