Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is arthritis affecting a child (under 16) in several joints where evidence exists that the condition is autoimmune - ie the child's own immune system is attacking its joints.
Different types
Several different kinds of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) are recognised. An umbrella name of Idiopathic Juvenile Arthritis embraces the whole group of conditions and then they are sub-classified according to how many joints are affected and other factors found in the blood.
-