Evaluation of arthritis in school age children

Arthritis refers to a group of diseases that cause redness, hotness, pain swelling, stiffness and loss of motion in the joints . Arthritis is often used as a more general term to refer to more than 100 rheumatic diseases that may affect the joints but can also cause pain ,swelling and stiffness in other supporting structures of the body such as muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones . Some rheumatic diseases can affect other parts of the body including various internal organs . Children can develop almost all types of arthritis that affect adults but the most common type that affects children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis ( JRA).