Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

How is it Diagnosed?

Your child's physician may have to go through many steps to find out if a type of juvenile arthritis or a related condition is present. Other possible diagnoses are reviewed in detailed pamphlets available through the Arthritis Foundation. The main processes involved in making a diagnosis usually include:

• A complete health history to help determine the length of time symptoms have been present, to rule out other possible causes such as viral infections, and to find out if other family members may have had a form of arthritis that possibly could have been inherited (family history).
• A physical examination to look for joint inflammation, rashes, nodules, signs of internal organ inflammation and/or eye problems that may suggest the presence of juvenile arthritis.
• Laboratory tests to help rule out other diseases. These may include erythrocyte sedimentation (sed) rate (ESR), ANA, RF, HLA-B27 typing, hemoglobin and blood count testing and urinalysis (UA).
• X-rays or other specialized x-ray procedures of joints, bones and organs to check for infections, tumors or fractures.
• Tests of joint, blood and tissue fluids to check for infections or inflammation.

For example, an illness such as systemic lupus erythematosus may be similar to JRA in its symptoms (fever, rash arthritis) or fibromyalgia may seem similar, too (joint and muscle pain, fatigue). Further testing will help exclude these and other diagnoses.