Definition Oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is defined as a chronic inflammatory arthritis of unknown origin with onset prior to the age of 16 years that persists for at least 6 weeks ( Box 19.1 ). It is further characterized…
Definitions Chronic childhood arthritis affecting five joints or more during the first 6 months of disease is defined as polyarthritis . , The International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification system for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) further categorizes polyarthritis…
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is one of the most perplexing diseases of childhood. Its onset can be quite nonspecific and may suggest bacterial or viral infection, malignancy, or another inflammatory disease. The evolution of the disease eventually confirms the…
Historical Aspects Pediatric rheumatology, the study and treatment of acute and chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system, blood vessels, and other tissues, originated in the first half of the 20th century, principally as a study of chronic inflammatory arthritis, the…
Acknowledgements Gay Kuchta, OT, is acknowledged for her contributions in the previous editions that provided a sound basis for this revised chapter. Machteld Huber, MD, PhD, is acknowledged for sharing her expertise on the My Positive Health model. Over the…
Biologics or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are different from nonbiologic or synthetic DMARDs in that they are produced by biological processes rather than chemical syntheses. Biological DMARDs target specific, well-defined molecules expressed on cells or secreted into the extracellular…
The principal drugs used in pediatric rheumatology are drugs that suppress the inflammatory and immune responses. This chapter outlines important general principles relating to the nonbiological therapies, particularly as they apply to children. The treatment of specific rheumatic disorders is…
Epidemiology The world population is around 7.7 billion of which nearly 30% are children less than 18 years of age. The top five most populous countries have 45% of the world population. Asia has 60% of the world population, with…
Introduction Rheumatic diseases in children are frequently multisystem, chronic, and characterized by periods of disease activity and remission. The disease and therapy can have significant impact on the child physically and emotionally. Early diagnosis of disease through thoughtful, thorough, and…
Introduction Over the past 85 years the role of laboratory investigation in rheumatic diseases has progressed from reports of curious in vitro phenomena in diseases defined purely on clinical grounds to sophisticated immunopathology testing providing information now essential for disease diagnosis.…