Juvenile Spondyloarthopathy

What is It?

Some types of arthritis involve the spine as well as tendons, especially at the spots where the tendons attach to the bone (enthesis or enthesopathy). This family of disorders is called seronegative spondyloarthropathies. When seen in children, they are referred to a Juvenile Spondyloarthropathies (JSp).

Terminology of Juvenile Spondyloarthropathy

It is important to determine if your child has arthritis or one of the arthritis-related conditions that affect children because treatments vary for each type. Early diagnosis and treatment are keys to slowing or preventing joint and tissue damage.

There are several kinds of JSp. They include: Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis, Juvenile Psoriatic arthritis, the arthritis associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Enteropathogenic arthritis), reactive arthritis, (Reiter's syndrome is one type of reactive arthritis), and the SEA syndrome (seronegativity, enthesopathy, arthropathy).

There are similar features that are often found in people with these diseases that make them a "family" of conditions. The JSp tend to: 1). involve the spine and especially the sacroiliac joints; 2). affect a particular joint on one side of the body rather than both sides at the same time (both sides involved is called "symmetrical arthritis"); 3) affect mostly large joints; 4). cause eye inflammation; 5). involve the entheses; 6). be found in people with a certain genetic tissue type, HLA-B27.

There is no single test to diagnose JSp. The diagnosis is made when there have been persistent symptoms for at least 6 weeks after other possible illnesses have been ruled out. Sometimes, a variety of tests may be necessary to come to a firm diagnosis. Once your child's physician suspects or makes this diagnosis, your child may be referred to a pediatric rheumatologist. This is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of children with arthritis and arthritis-related conditions.