Juvenile idiopathic arthritis symptoms

Swelling may be difficult to detect clinically, especially for joints such as those of the spine, sacroiliac joints, shoulder, hip and jaw, where imaging techniques such as ultrasound or MRI are very useful. The cardinal clinical feature is persistent swelling of the affected joint , which commonly include the knee, ankle, wrist and small joints of the hands and feet. Children may also become quite ill, presenting with flu-like symptoms that persist. The first manifestation, particularly in young children, may be limping. Symptoms of JIA are often non-specific initially, and include lethargy, reduced physical activity, and poor appetite. Adding to the confusion, the term rheumatoid itself lacks a consistent, unambiguous definition. A majority of cases are rheumatoid factor negative, which leads some to consider the "chronic" or "idiopathic" labels more appropriate. JIA does not encompass all forms of chronic childhood arthritis. Other sources still use the latter term.