Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a scary diagnosis for any parent who absolutely loves and adores their children. That fear will undoubtedly make many parents research this dreadful disease if their child starts to have symptoms.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation that circulates on the internet about JIA, which can be detrimental to your child's health. This article aims to clear the air about any false statements that anyone may have heard about juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
5 Myths About JIA
1. It Goes Away With Time
One of the more prominent myths associated with this disease is that it goes away as you age. Many parents have a wait-and-see attitude about JIA, costing the precious time they could have used to get an earlier diagnosis.
Given how stubborn some parents are, it can be easy to either agree with them or drop the subject of a doctor's visit if their child is showing symptoms of arthritis. As a result, children will go through life thinking the occasional flare-ups and their suffering will go away eventually.
2. JIA Doesn’t Cause Serious Long-Term Problems
People often disregard how severe JIA can be and the ill effects it will have on their long-term health. This myth is often perpetuated because many children are not visibly hurt or sick throughout their life when battling arthritis.
Some will even wait until there is a long-term problem before attempting to address the illness.
RELATED: Does Juvenile Arthritis Last Forever?
3. It’s an Easy Diagnosis
A fair amount of people think their doctor can diagnose juvenile idiopathic arthritis after a simple doctor’s visit. Moreover, people believe their pediatrician can give their child medication as a simple fix.
4. Joint Pain Is the Biggest Symptom
Others will dismiss it because they believe joint pain is the only thing their kids have to worry about with JIA. They’ll think their kid is tough enough to handle the pain, so there’s no need to tell their care physician.
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5. Help for JIA is Everywhere
Another common misconception is that the specialist who handles these diagnoses are
a dime a dozen. In other words, folks overestimate how easy it is to set an appointment to deal with this problem.
How These Myths Can Affect Your Child
If you believe in these falsehoods, you may severely risk your child's future health and life experience, particularly for young Black children. It may not seem like it, but not getting diagnosed sooner will make the disease worse.
Many ailments, especially arthritis, won't have a chance to alter someone's life if you catch it early. At the very least, you will be able to have a conversation with your child to prepare them for the long road ahead.
Unexpected pain can't be the worst thing a toddler can go through when they don't know what is happening to their body. With the correct information, you can save your little one from an uncomfortable future.
RELATED: Fun Exercises for Children with JIA
What is the Truth About JIA?
Now let’s talk about what is true about juvenile idiopathic arthritis. First off, flare-ups can happen at any time in your life. You can expect to experience some uncomfortable joint pain and inflammation as an adult if you do not take care of it earlier.
Next, your children will experience some long-term effects, including:
- Bad headaches
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Inflammation
- Blindness
The pain may be manageable at first, but these long-term consequences will come if you do not get treatment. Studies have shown that young Black girls have worst arthritis pain than their caucasian counterparts.
It might seem like joint pain is an easy diagnosis, especially for a child, but doctors must rule out all the other possible causes before considering JIA.
This disease can easily disguise itself as growing pains, making it harder for professionals to pinpoint the exact cause of their pain.
Joint pain is a major symptom of arthritis, but with it comes anxiety and depression. Children are always on guard for their next flare-up, which can drastically alter how they enjoy life.
Finally, there are not too many pediatric rheumatologists in the USA. In fact, as many as nine states do not have a single registered pediatric rheumatologist. This lack of help has forced over 300,000 patients to receive limited care.
