Symptoms:

Symptoms of JRA may begin with a swollen joint, limping, a spiking fever, or a new rash.

Symptoms can include:

• Joint stiffness and pain
• Limited range of motion
• Warm, swollen, or red joints
• A child may stop using an affected limb or may limp

Body-wide JRA symptoms:

• Fever, usually high fevers every day
• Rash (trunk and extremities) that comes and goes with the fever
• Pale skin
• Looks sick
• Swollen lymph nodes (glands)

JRA can also cause eye problems called uveitis, iridocyclitis, or iritis. There may be no symptoms, or the person may have:

• Red eyes
• Eye pain, which may get worse when looking at light (photophobia)
• Vision changes

Signs and tests:

The physical examination may show swollen, warm, and tender joints that hurt to move. The child may have a rash. Other signs include:

• Swollen liver
• Swollen spleen
• Swollen lymph nodes

Blood tests that may be done include:

• Rheumatoid factor
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• ANA
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• HLA antigens for HLA B27

Any or all of these blood tests may be normal in patients with JRA.

The health care provider may place a small needle into a swollen joint to remove fluid. This can help to find the cause of the arthritis and help relieve pain, too. Sometimes, the health care provider will inject steroids into the joint to help reduce swelling.

Other tests that may be done include:

• X-ray of a joint
• Bone scan
• X-ray of the chest
• ECG
• Eye exam by an ophthalmologist (should be done on a regular basis, even if there are no eye symptoms)