Arthritis Australia and run community seminars. Arthritis is an umbrella term for more than 100 medical conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system, specifically joints where two or more bones meet. The three most significant – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout – account for more than 95 per cent of cases in Australia. The most common forms of arthritis are: Arthritis-related problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation and damage to joint cartilage (the tissue that covers the ends of bones, enabling them to move against each another) and surrounding structures. This can result in joint weakness, instability and deformities that can interfere with the
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis Juvenile idiopathic arthritis Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), also known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, is the most common form of arthritis in children and adolescents. ("Juvenile" in this context refers to an onset before age 16, "idiopathic" refers to a condition with no defined cause, and "arthritis" is the inflammation of the synovium of a joint.) JIA is an autoimmune, noninfective, inflammatory joint disease of more than 6 weeks duration in children less than 16 years of age. The disease commonly occurs in children from the ages of 1 to 6, but it may develop as late as 15 years of