Karen Brandt Onel, MD, pediatric rheumatologist at HSS speaks to Health Central about oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

JIA is the term doctors use to refer to chronic arthritis that affects kids before the age of 16. It is an autoimmune disease, or a condition in which the body attacks its own tissues—in this case, the joints.

Kids with oligoarticular JIA have swelling, pain, and stiffness in large joints like their knees, ankles, and elbows. They may have trouble walking, and one leg could be longer than the other because bones near inflamed joints grow too quickly or slowly, per NIAMS.

Keep in mind that your child might not tell you their joint hurts. It’s not that they don’t feel pain, but that they react to it differently than adults might, said Dr. Onel. “I think it happens slowly and they get used to it. And because they have limited memory and life experience, they just don’t remember the way it used to feel.”

Read the full article at healthcentral.com.