Symptoms

The most common signs and symptoms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are:

• Pain. While your child might not complain of joint pain, you may notice that he or she limps — especially first thing in the morning or after a nap.
• Swelling. Joint swelling is common but is often first noticed in larger joints such as the knee.
• Stiffness. You might notice that your child appears clumsier than usual, particularly in the morning or after naps.
• Fever, swollen lymph nodes and rash. In some cases, high fever, swollen lymph nodes or a rash on the trunk may occur — which is usually worse in the evenings.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis can affect one joint or many. There are several different subtypes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, but the main ones are systemic, oligoarticular and polyarticular. Which type your child has depends on symptoms, the number of joints affected, and if a fever and rashes are prominent features.

Like other forms of arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis is characterized by times when symptoms flare up and times when symptoms may be minimal.

When to see a doctor

Take your child to the doctor if he or she has joint pain, swelling or stiffness for more than a week — especially if he or she also has a fever.