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Juvenile Arthritis Symptoms | Idiopathic Arthritis | Jia Arthritis | Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Treatment | Jia Symptoms
Children with this disease may have serious complications, including infections and sometimes death, depending upon their age and severity of infection. Because of this rare form of IBD, most cases are diagnosed in infancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), there were just 7,831 reported cases of JIA diagnosed in January 2015 in children younger than 2 years old. Of these, only 3 affected infants died. Infections were reported in 1% of cases, with 8% developing acute forms of illness (such as pneumonia) and 19% developing chronic forms (such as arthritis) requiring long-term treatment, according to the American Health Information Center. Although not deadly, children with JIA may suffer from sepsis-like conditions called cytokine storm syndrome (CIS; see an article about CIS). The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention estimates there is a 6.5 death rate per 100 patient treated children 0-18 years, although those rates may be low because rates may be higher. After all, several large studies have not been completed. For example, a study published in June 2017 in BMJ Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found a 9% incidence of MIS among hospitalized children with JIA. The authors stated that they had difficulty finding data to prove that MIS was related to JIA because MIS occurred frequently enough to be considered incidental. They conclude, "The current evidence supports a link between MIS and MIS, which underscores the need for further investigation into this association." Another study was published in September 2018 in JAMA Pediatrics (Journal of the American Medical Association); this time, researchers found the 12-month mortality rate from MIS was 35% among people with the same health problems. The group of patients who did survive to 30 days of follow-up was 65 women and 49 men, with an average age of 15 years. Almost half of these patients were in the ICU, with the remainder hospitalized for their condition. Results showed that MIS may result from cytokine storms and that more aggressive treatments may reduce the risk of MIS or decrease clinical outcomes. Researchers suggest that future research could help identify interventions and better management practices to prevent and treat MIS from occurring. Overall, there are fewer than 5000 cases of MIS with JIA annually, though results are needed more closely to determine the risks and outcomes from these findings. As for MIS, the American Gastroenterological Association (AHA) does not recommend the use of antibiotics in infants with acute forms of inflammation or septic complications (such as MIS), although some researchers continue to support that recommendation due to concerns about the emergence of resistant organisms or poor nutrition, since these are typically a result of lack of proper care.
What Causes This Condition? As described above, JIA is primarily an inflammatory condition, and its severity can be varied. It is thought that there are possible causes for the initial infection itself, but there are no proven causes (other than a vaccination or maternal infection, which is uncommon). While the early infection is often associated with sepsis, infection with other respiratory viruses is more prevalent. In adults and young children, viral infections can cause a wide variety of conditions including pneumonia, sepsis, encephalitis, influenza and herpes, myocarditis, mononucleosis, and others. Since children cannot receive vaccinations and may develop weakened immune systems, the vaccines they receive in childhood may also cause autoimmune diseases. Other immune-compromised individuals may develop viral infections, such as measles, and even Hepatitis B and C, which can lead to hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Vaccines, whether developed for human use or animals, contain elements from viruses that are believed to be more likely to cause infection and/or immune diseases. In addition, other immune-compromised individuals may develop viral infections, such as measles, and even Hepatitis B and C, which can lead to hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. The JIA virus that causes the condition has never been fully studied or analyzed using either human or animal models. All of the above risk factors would place vulnerable infants at higher risk as they develop and treat JIA. Although there are no known risk factors for JIA in newborns, these infants represent less than 1% of all infants with this condition. Therefore, any factor that increases the chance of developing JIA could lead to an increased number of infants with the condition, which would increase the overall burden on public health and healthcare systems. Furthermore, since each infant with JIA develops with a unique genetic makeup and is associated with a varied mix of genes that predispose them to various illnesses, there is no guarantee that a single child will develop the condition. The risk factors for JIA also vary based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. Given the wide varying risk factors and high mortality rates associated with JIA, a vaccine might be necessary to decrease the occurrence of this devastating condition. Unfortunately, although this condition is treated successfully, it is difficult to treat and requires close monitoring. A team of scientists was involved in finding a cure for JIA, including the University of Utah School of Medicine, the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and numerous pharmaceutical companies. They were able to create mRNA vaccines containing both the original, Japanese JIA virus and a version of Kawasaki Disease virus (a common pathogen, similar to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19), and have shown promising safety and efficacy in animal models. One of the key hurdles with the vaccine is that it must be injected intramuscularly, so it can’t be given intravenously. Even though it has been approved for use, this method has led to several complications and requires special equipment and staff trained in this area. Furthermore, the injection site is susceptible to local bleeding, causing a redness and tingling sensation in the injection site, which makes administering the vaccine extremely difficult. In addition, the Pfizer vaccine was recently found to have high levels of anti-inflammatory chemicals that can cause allergic reactions to the skin, hands, and eyes. Thus, the vaccination process poses significant challenges that limit its approval and use in humans. More importantly, the majority of JIA cases occur in babies and young children. This means that children in their developmental period of rapid growth and learning need the best care. Despite the availability of multiple therapies, there is a shortage of physicians specializing in JIA. Thus, there continues to be limited access to quality care, especially in rural areas where JIA infection is more common, resulting in less attention paid to the needs of infants and young
