JRA or JIA?

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a complex disorder. It is made up of more than 100 diseases that cause joint inflammation. In an effort to better describe the many faces of JRA, the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) recently renamed the disease.

New name for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA)

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is now called juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In addition to the name change, the disease's classification has been expanded to include two conditions–spondyloarthropathy and psoriatic arthritis–formerly not under the JRA umbrella.

The previous disease categorization, created in 1977 by the American College of Rheumatologists (ACR), divided arthritis into three subtypes: pauciarticular, polyarticular and systemic disease.

The new system, approved by ILAR in 1997, divides childhood arthritis into five expanded subtypes:

• Oligoarticular arthritis , whichinvolves fewer than five joints in the first six months and may extend to more joints after six months
• Polyarticular arthritis, involving five or more joints in the first six months
• Systemic disease, characterized by fever, rash and systemic involvement that may include organs as well as joints
• Psoriatic arthritis, which includes rash
• Enthesitis-related disease, including spondylitis and disease involving the spine, hips and enthesis—areas where bone and tendon attach

"Both classifications are acceptable," notes Norman Ilowite, MD, Chief, Rheumatology Department, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), "but most pediatric rheumatologists now use the term JIA."

Looking for superb JRA care near your home?

The Rheumatology Department at CHAM is located in the north Bronx, minutes away from suburban New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. We offer children with JRA:

• Care from the nation's most experienced pediatric rheumatologists
• State-of-the-art facilities with under-one-roof treatment from more than 100 different specialists
• Access to the latest clinical trials
• Support services for families

Get the help you need for your child. Call CHAM today.

To learn more about our JRA services or to make an appointment with one of our pediatric rheumatologists, call us at 718-741-2456. Please call today—we look forward to hearing about your child.