Arthritis in this case is not exactly the same as what most people think of as arthritis. Older people get osteoarthritis where the cushioning between joints breaks down and you get pain from bone grinding against bone. Rheumatoid arthritis (and JIA, or Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, which is much more common in kids) are autoimmune disorders where the bodys immune system attacks itself in various places. One place is the joints but it can also cause a whole host of other weird symptoms including fever and rashes.In this case, what youve described sounds highly rheumatologic in nature. RA and JIA both fit in that category, though Id put my money on JIA based on her age and symptoms. A pediatric rheumatologist is your absolute best bet to get this figured out and get her on medications to treat and prevent flare ups like this.
Hi Dr, they diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis on discharge and prescribed her something, my mom doesn't think it's arthritis.