arthritis affects approximately one child in every 1 000 in a given year. fortunately most of these cases are mild. however approximately one child in every 10 000 will have more severe arthritis that doesn't just go away. many children have what is called an acute inflammatory arthritis following a viral or bacterial infection. this arthritis is often quite severe for a brief period but usually disappears within a few weeks or months. juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (jra) is the most common type of arthritis that persists for months or years at a time. juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is also now called juvenile arthritis or juvenile arthritis of unknown cause (juvenile idiopathic arthritis).
how common is arthritis in children?