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Adults with fibromyalgia know how hard it can be to get a diagnosis. There are so many conditions that can mimic the symptoms of fibromyalgia, and many doctors aren’t that knowledgeable about the condition. And one of the most common sources of confusion is between arthritis and fibromyalgia because the two are so similar.
But children can also suffer from both conditions, and they have the same problem with getting accurately diagnosed as adults do. So, let’s look at some of the signs that your child is suffering from one of the conditions and what you can do to help.
What Are The Symptoms Of Juvenile Arthritis?
It can be hard to know when your child is suffering from juvenile arthritis, particularly when they are younger. Young children may not be able to express exactly what they are feeling. So, it’s important to look for some of the more subtle signs.
Often, children with juvenile arthritis are irritable or can have difficulty walking. That’s because they may be experiencing pain in their joints but not understand how to express it. In addition, there are physical signs you should be aware of like rashes, persistent fever, or swelling in the joints. Often, the swelling is worse in the morning when a child wakes up.
If you notice that your child seems to have difficulty moving in the morning and seems to be in pain from swollen joints, then it’s possible that they have juvenile arthritis.
What Are The Symptoms Of Juvenile Fibromyalgia?
It’s probably a little harder to know when your child is suffering from juvenile fibromyalgia. Many adults with fibromyalgia can go years before they get diagnosed, so it’s easy to imagine how difficult it is to recognize the condition in children. And unlike juvenile arthritis, there are few physical symptoms like swollen joints that you can recognize.
If your child is often tired and spends a lot of time sleeping, then there’s a good chance that something is wrong. Children with juvenile fibromyalgia are also often irritable and can struggle in school due to the mental fog that’s often a symptom of fibromyalgia. Older children may also simply tell you that they experience frequent pain in their muscles, which is a good sign that they have fibromyalgia.
Juvenile fibromyalgia is somewhat rare and affects somewhere between 2 and 6% of children. But it’s more common in girls than boys. If your child is displaying any of these symptoms, it’s always a good idea to take them to the doctor as they can be a sign of other serious conditions as well.
What Should You Do To Help?
If your child seems to be in pain, of course, you want to get them to a doctor. When you do take them, make sure that you have a good idea of what your child’s symptoms are so you can describe them to the doctor. For instance, if you’ve noticed that your child has frequent fevers, it can be helpful to make a chart of when they’re experiencing them and what their temperature is. And it can also be helpful to chart out the times when your child is experiencing pain.
This information can help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis. And your child may not be able to describe their own symptoms if they are young.
Doctors often have a hard time diagnosing either condition in children, so the first step will likely be ruling out other conditions with similar symptoms like lupus. The doctor will probably want to do a series of tests looking at the levels of antibodies in the blood to determine what condition your child has. If they think that your child is suffering from arthritis, this can also help them tell what kind.
Fibromyalgia is usually one of the things they will check last if they can’t find another source of the child’s symptoms. The test for juvenile fibromyalgia is the same as the one for adults. The doctor will look for symptoms like chronic fatigue and pain, along with a physical test.
There are 18 specific points on the body associated with fibromyalgia called “tender points.” The doctor will press their thumb into these points to see if the child feels pain in them. If the child experiences significant pain in 11 of these points, then they probably have fibromyalgia.
If your child is diagnosed with either condition, the good news is that doctors can provide treatment. Follow the doctor’s recommendations and if you’re not satisfied with the results, consider seeking out a doctor who specializes in the condition.
What do you think? Have you had experiences with juvenile arthritis or fibromyalgia? Let us know in the comments.
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