Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms (Cont.)

Eye Symptoms With Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Eye inflammation is another potentially severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptom. These problems occur most often in children with pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Pauciarticular JRA is the most common type of juvenile arthritis. Two serious eye problems that can occur include iritis (inflammation of the iris, the colored part of the eye) or uveitis (inflammation of the uvea, or the inner eye). Symptoms with these conditions may include:
 
  • Eye pain or irritation
  • Blurred vision
  • Excessive tearing
  • Redness of the eye
  • Sensitivity to light (photophobia).
 
Eye disease affects about 20 to 30 percent of children with pauciarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Eye diseases such as iritis and uveitis often are not present until sometime after a child first develops juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.
 
Some children with pauciarticular disease outgrow arthritis by adulthood, although eye problems can continue, and joint symptoms may recur in some people.
 

Progression of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

In general, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is not a lifelong condition, and symptoms of JRA usually improve after several months or years. During this time, there may be periods when the juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are better or disappear (remissions) and times when symptoms are worse (flare-ups).
 
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are different in each child -- some children may have just one or two flare-ups and never have symptoms again, while others experience many flare-ups or even have symptoms that never go away.
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD