Types of arthritis in children: how to treat

Arthritis of joints in children is an etymologically heterogeneous group of rheumatic diseases involving inflammatory lesions of all articular elements.

To identify the disease, the doctor prescribes various laboratory tests, for example, ultrasound or radiography, as well as MRI and CT of joints.

There is an opinion that only those who are already 45 years old may be at risk, but this is far from being the case. Arthritis of the joint can develop and become aggravated even in a child of infantile age.

Types of arthritis in children

Arthritis can be of different types, it all depends on the causes that caused the disease. The type of arthritis depends on how the treatment will be treated, and what methods will be most effective.

Types of arthritis:

• rheumatoid,
• reactive,
• juvenile,
• infectious,
• allergic,
• chronic.

According to statistics, arthritis occurs in every thousandth child in the first years of life and usually affects the hip, knee joints, as well as the ankles, feet, elbows and shoulders. It depletes the cartilaginous tissues, narrows the space between the joints, causes swelling soft tissues, which in turn lead to pain and stiffness in the movements.

Rheumatoid arthritis in children: signs, causes and treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to disability, since it is a serious disease of the musculoskeletal system with autoimmune origin.

The task of primary importance is to identify the disease of the child, while it is on an early stage of development, and this is very difficult, because it can not yet clearly state what feels.

Causes of rheumatoid arthritis:

• infectious diseases;
• various physical and psychological traumas;
• ingestion of foreign protein in the children's body;
• metabolic disease;
• an increased level of sensitivity to the influence of the external environment.

Symptoms:

• there were painful sensations in the region of the joint, abdomen;
• increased body temperature, accompanied by chills;
• joint hot to the touch, swelling and deformed;
• on the skin there were itching rashes;
• the movement became limited;
• there was a shortage of air, and his lips were pale;
• there was a cough (dry or wet);
• increased lymph nodes, liver or spleen;
• decreased the level of vision.

The knee and hip joints are more prone to rheumatoid arthritis, except for them - wrist, elbow, less often - the joints of the hand.

Start treatment should be with the restriction in the food that the child uses. First of all, you needproducts from the diet that contain sodium- When cooking, use a minimum of salt, and do not use any pickles, sausage and cheese.

When arthritis in children, you must necessarily restore the calcium balance, for this every day give your child to eat a handful of nuts or drink more milk (and other dairy products). In addition, heIt is necessary to take special calcium preparations with vitamin D as part of the.

To achieve a short-term effect, 7-20 days of medical starvation is used, in which the intake of medicines is completely abolished, and the drink goes into free mode.

The long-term and good effect is usually achieved when applied:

• special complex exercise therapy (helps maintain muscle mass and joint mobility);
• massage and physiotherapy;
• sanatorium treatment.

Reactive Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options

Most often this form of the disease is provoked by chlamydial infections, sometimes - bacteria that inflame the child's gastrointestinal tract (enterocolitis). Also, the pathological response of the immune system to microbes accidentally trapped in the body (through unwashed hands, dirty objects, products, by airborne droplets) can also cause arthritis.

During the diagnosis, the doctor often discovers that a couple of weeks before the inflammation the child was affected (in acute form) the genitourinary system, as well as the airway or he suffered an intestinal infection.

This type of arthritis usually affects only one joint, and only occasionally several (up to 4).

The signs of the disease include:

• swelling of the joint (if the finger is struck, it begins to resemble a sausage, becoming cyanotic);
• at the beginning of the illness the child is feverish, he is weak, refuses to play;
• there may be pain in the spine;
• the skin in the area of ​​the joint becomes red;
• sometimes a rash appears on the skin;
• conjunctivitis and erosion of the oral mucosa;
• inflamed genitalia (external).

Reactive arthritis in children: how to treat

For etiotropic treatment, antibiotics with a broad spectrum of action are administered that affect pathogens that provoked RA (located inside the cell macrolides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones). The duration of therapy does not exceed 2 weeks, and the dosage must necessarily correspond to the age of the patient.

In the pathogenic method of treatment, the physician must prescribe immunomodulating and immunostimulating drugs aimed at stimulating own immune system, with symptomatic - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroid hormones (for short time interval).

As folk remedies apply:

• ointment from the comfrey (apply for a day);
• a compress of dimexide diluted with rheopyrin of a liquid consistency (to keep on a sick site no more than 40 minutes);
• a pack of horseradish and black radish (apply on a joint lubricated with vegetable oil and hold for 2-3 hours).

Hip arthritis in children

When the arthritis of this joint arises, the connective tissues of the joint surface of the pelvic girdle and femur become inflamed. The most common cause of coxitis (medical name of ATS) is purulent and tubercular infections, as well as reactive arthritis. reasons that can cause automatic telephone exchanges, more than 200.

For treatment, the most commonly used drugs are NSAIDs (about 40 representatives), namely: Aspirin, Indomethacin, and Brufen.

Symptoms, in the manifestation of which the doctor can determine arthritis of the hip joint in children:

• aching pain in the area of ​​the affected joint (peak intensity - morning hours);
• stiffness or tenderness when walking or lifting;
• periarticular swelling;
• muscle atrophy (decrease in volume).

To diagnose arthritis in children, use:

• radiography;
• MR-tomography;
• An ultrasound of the joint;
• puncture of the joint;
• analyzes: general - urine, general and biochemical - blood.

It is better to treat the ATS immediately, once it is diagnosed, as it can lead to the defeat of vital internal organs.

There is a general algorithm that doctors adhere to when treating arthritis:

1. Fixation of the affected joint with the help of bandages.
2. Purpose of medicines (depends on the type of arthritis).
3. Surgical intervention (sanation of inflammatory foci).
4. Restoring the functioning of the joint by performing massages and special exercises.
5. Exercise therapy and physiotherapy (to fix the result).

Arthritis of the knee joint in children

Knee arthritis (gonita) is an inflammation that starts from the root joint and spreads to surrounding soft tissues with their further swelling and as a result - deformation of the bone. The disease is accompanied by remission periods and exacerbations.

As a treatment, a child is usually prescribed NSAIDs taken after meals (to reduce the effect of drugs on the digestive tract), appoint special exercises and exercise therapy. For the prevention of AKS doctors recommend that parents periodically bring children to massage and send to a sanatorium.

If a child has signs of arthritis, do not self-medicate, it is best to contact a specialist. This will help to avoid complications and serious consequences if the disease is in a state of neglect.