Elizabeth Swindell
Honors English 4
21 October 2014
Struggles of Children with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Approximately, fifty thousand children every year are diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. It is the second leading chronic illness in children 16 years old or younger. This means that it is a continuous, long term condition (Peacock 11, 44). Young children and students with this disorder often have a hard time in school due to the physical affects this disorder has on them and the misconceptions of children with Arthritis. Many adults are unaware that this condition can occur in young children so they often do not believe it when child claims to have Arthritis. Even though it is a rare, nonlife threatening disorder, …show more content…
This means that the body is unable to recognize its own cells, more specifically, in this case, the white blood cells attack the lining of the joints called the synovial gap causing it to fill with excess fluid which causes pain and swelling in the effected joint (Peacock 8). “Though the exact cause is unclear, physicians believe that a combination of genes and external influences might be involved” (Huff). An example of this could be that a mutation in someone’s genes may make them more susceptible to environmental factors, such as a virus, which may trigger the onset of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. About one in every two hundred fifty children have a form of joint inflammation, such as Arthritis, and face problems in school every day (Taghdiri …show more content…
Even if they eventually outgrow the disease, children may be effected by permanently damaged joints leaving them unable to do certain physical activities as they grow older (Peacock 12). Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis can also stunt growth and cause the effected joints to grow asymmetrically (Taghdiri 10; Peacock 12). It is bad enough that these children are suffering from this disease as they’re growing, but having it continue for the rest of their lives is not only depriving them of their childhood, but their active adulthood as