About 220,000 children and young adults under 18 have arthritis, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that examined data between 2017 and 2021.
The prevalence of arthritis in kids was highest among kids 12-17-years-old, the report said.
Dr. Sangeeta Sule, division chief of rheumatology at Children’s National Hospital in D.C., said it’s widely known that some kids develop arthritis, but it hasn’t received as much attention, largely because arthritis is much more common in adults.
“It still is relatively rare compared to some other diseases, like asthma,” Sule said. “It sort of flies under the radar and doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. Really bringing this to the forefront can help a lot of children.”
Arthritis is usually associated with older adults, but children get diagnosed with a different type of arthritis, Sule said. Many adults are diagnosed with a “wear and tear type of arthritis, so the more you move, the older you are, the more wear and tear you have on your joints.” But in kids, arthritis is tied to the immune system, which Sule said “gets confused and starts attacking the joints, causing swelling or inflammation.”
While anyone can be diagnosed with arthritis, the CDC report highlighted social and economic disparities, with African American children and kids experiencing depression, anxiety or food insecurity being more likely to have it.
Aches or pain after playing and running is normal for kids, Sule said, but arthritis could present with symptoms such as joint stiffness or swelling, or a feeling that’s warm to the touch and lasts for about six weeks with no significant “antecedent or trauma beforehand.”
It’s usually subtle in kids, but one indicator is if a child asks a parent to pick them up after a nap or when waking up in the morning, because joints are stiff and hard to move, Sule said. Restriction in range of motion, swelling and joint paint are symptoms that Sule said should prompt parents to take kids to a pediatrician.
“Knowing that children can also have that same type of inflammation of the joints that can impact their ability to function is really, really important,” Sule said.
There isn’t anything specific that can be done preventively, Sule said, though she advised kids to be active and eat healthy foods.
However, it can be treated, usually with medicine to help the immune system stop attacking the joint, and in some cases, physical and occupational therapy.
At Children’s National, doctors have ongoing trials looking at the effectiveness of different medicines, and will start to evaluate the effects of yoga on arthritis.
“It’s important to get the word out there that children can have arthritis,” Sule said. “It always surprises people that children can have a disease that people usually think of in adults.”
