July is the month of a lot of great things: The Fourth of July, long summer nights, fresh fruit, fireflies, and summer vacation. But there’s something else great about this month that sometimes goes under the radar:
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month.
As someone who is particularly interested in pediatrics in the future, I did some research about this condition. Here is the rundown: juvenile arthritis is not simply arthritis for kids. Actually, juvenile arthritis, or JA, is a combination of many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that develop in kids under the age of 16.
Most of these forms of JA are similar in that they may cause pain and joint swelling, but each particular form is specific in their symptoms. Right now, there is no clear cause of juvenile arthritis nor a cure. To learn more about the JA, click here!
Excitingly, the Arthritis Foundation has sponsored July to be the month of Juvenile Arthritis Awareness. This is super important, because kids with arthritis don’t get nearly as much attention as adults do.
Not only this, but right now there is a shortage of care providers for those with juvenile arthritis. Baby boomer generation pediatric rheumatologists are now beginning to retire, leaving those pediatric patients with juvenile arthritis going to see other more general doctors that often can not offer the same level of expertise.
This makes things even more difficult, however, because pediatric arthritis diagnosis can be hard to determine as well.
That said, the Arthritis Foundation is doing lots of big and exciting things for this month. Among these are Camp Kids and Team Retreat, both geared towards fun summer events for kids and their families.
The Arthritis Foundation also runs a website that gives more information on the condition as well as details on awareness events planned during the month.
To learn more about Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, its events, and more about juvenile arthritis in general, click here!
