Dear Ronita,

Still’s disease is a Juvenile form of Rheumatoid Arthritis, which usually affects the whole body at once, not one joint at a time. Body parts other than joints can be affected, and the young person may be extremely ill at first, with a very high fever, rash, and joint pains. Some patients develop fluid around the heart, and this may cause an audible sound (through the stethoscope only) – this is the only “murmur” I know of which can occur frequently. The treatment or management of this will depend on the general state of the patient, and the paediatrician/immunologist or other specialist caring for the patient will be the best person to advise you. Generally, treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms, and at modifying the disease in the long term. True Still’s disease is a chronic condition, and the patient will need to learn about the condition and how to be part of the management team. It may be necessary to use cortisone or other disease-modifying drugs to prevent destruction of joints. Things such as special diets or homeopathic approaches have not had good results at all, often failing to prevent severe joint damage. This condition must be managed aggressively, and many patients do very well with early diagnosis and good treatment.

If you need extra information, you could try www.Medscape.com or www.Mayoclinic.com . Type in Still’s disease in the search engine, and take it from there.

Good luck.

HeartDoc