I thought I'd answer this question to help raise awareness about this disease. I read this today in the Arthritis Today's magazine called Just Diagnosed. Please take a minute to read!!
Arthritis is widely misunderstood. The word "arthritis" is an umbrella term for more than 100 diseases and conditions that affect the joints. RA, specifically, is an autoimmune disease brought on when the immune system goes awry. Normally, the immune system guards against infection and injury by sending out antibodies to destroy foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. But with an autoimmune disease, the antibodies target the body's own cells, resulting in inflammation that causes pain and damages tissues. In RA, the focal point of attack is the synovium - the thick membrane of connective tissue that surrounds the joints. Inflammation can harm other connective tissues, too. It can cause nodules (painless, hard masses that appear under the skin) or damage the lining of the heart, lungs or blood vessels, as well as cause fatigue and other wide-ranging symptoms.
Unfortunately, one is never too young or too old to get arthritis. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis occurs in children, even infants. RA strikes adults typically between the ages of 30 and 50, and 70 percent are women. Men also get RA, and they may be more severely affected than women when diagnosed.
Nearly 300,000 children are living with Juvenile Arthritis. It is hard to believe that our child is one of them. We don't know what the future holds for Hannah. We are thankful that she is doing so well right now and pray everyday that God will keep the pain away.
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