Did you know that one of the most common childhood diseases in the United States is Juvenile Arthritis?
In the month of July, officials are dedicated to increase awareness of early signs and symptoms and to ease the focus of resources for the battle of the disease.
Currently, Juvenile Arthritis affects 300,000 children nationwide; and that’s only the cases that are diagnosed.
“I actually think there are some (cases) that are probably missed,” said Tracy Ramsey, a Family Nurse Practitioner at Lawrence County Hospital’s Primary Care Clinic. “That’s probably because we’re dealing with people of a young age. We might assume that a kid hurt himself on the playground, and that’s why there is swelling. We just kind of ignore it, write it off to a kid being clumsy.”
There are three classifications of Juvenile Arthritis: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), Juvenile Chronic Arthritis (JCA) and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).
At this moment there is no cure for Juvenile Arthritis.
To learn more about Juvenile Arthritis and to hear more from Ramsey, click here.
