Health Topic

Juvenile Arthritis

Juvenile arthritis or JA, causes joint swelling, pain, stiffness and loss of motion in children. Learn diagnosis and tests for JA.

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Also called: Childhood arthritis · JRA · Juvenile idiopathic arthritis · Still's disease

Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.

About Juvenile Arthritis

Juvenile arthritis (JA) is arthritis that happens in children. It causes joint inflammation (swelling), pain, stiffness, and loss of motion. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. It can affect any joint, but it is more common in the knees, hands, and feet.

JA can affect your child's growth and development, and in some cases, it can also affect other organs. Finding JA early and starting treatment can help manage symptoms and reduce joint damage.

There are several other forms of arthritis affecting children. The most common type of JA in children under age 16 is juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). There are multiple types of JIA. Symptoms and the number of joints affected help determine the type. Some types of JIA are more common in girls.

The exact cause of JA is unknown. Most types are autoimmune disorders. This means that your immune system, which normally helps your body fight infection, attacks your body's tissues.

Symptoms can vary depending on the type of JA. The symptoms of most types include joint pain, swelling, warmth, and stiffness. Your child may not complain of pain or stiffness, but one early sign of JA may be limping or clumsiness in the morning or after resting. Larger joints, such as the knee, may be swollen.

Certain types of JA can cause a high fever, swollen lymph nodes, a rash, growth problems, or eye inflammation in some children. Symptoms can come and go. Some children have just one or two flare-ups. Others have symptoms that never go away.

There is no single test for JA, so it can be hard to diagnose. Your health care provider may:

  • Ask about medical history and symptoms.
  • Do a physical exam.
  • Order blood tests or imaging studies.

A team of providers usually treats JA. Treatment will depend on your child's age, the type of JA, and how bad it is. Treatment can include medicines and physical therapy to help maintain movement and reduce swelling and pain.

It sits within Children and Teenagers, Bones, Joints and Muscles and Immune System.

The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.

Research on Juvenile Arthritis

386 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.

What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.

Research currently under way

Research already completed

Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.

Where to read more

Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.

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Diagnosis and Tests

Treatments and Therapies

Related Issues

Genetics

Statistics and Research

Clinical Trials

Medical subject headings

Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Arthritis, Juvenile. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.

This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Juvenile Arthritis, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.