Rheumatology
What is rheumatology?
Rheumatology is an area of paediatric medicine concerned with children who have symptoms or signs of any musculoskeletal disease, including juvenile arthritis and auto-immune or inflammatory diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosis, dermatomyositis and scleroderma.
How we help children with rheumatic disorders
The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (SCHN) paediatric rheumatology services is delivered in multidisciplinary team care arrangements.
Children presenting with rheumatology conditions require the expertise of various professionals to treat and manage their condition and maximise function. Children may be admitted to hospital but this is rare and most commonly occurs for children requiring infusions of biologic therapy or severe disease relapse.
Video resources
Resources for families
Juvenile idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) information:
- Information about Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
- Information about Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
- Kids Get Arthritis Too
- Information for Kids with JIA
- JIA Action Plan
- Information for Young People with JIA
- Physiotherapy and JIA
- Physiotherapy and JIA: a guide for adolescents
- General information about JIA
- Information for teachers
- Information for sports teachers
- Managing the impact of JIA on your child's life
- Managing the impact of JIA on your family
- Medication overview for JIA
- Treatments commonly used for JIA
- Your preschooler with JIA
Australian Paediatric Rheumatology Group (APRG)
Conditions Specific/General Management
- Anterior Knee Pain
- Chilblains
- Chronic pain
- Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis
- Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)
- Good Sleep Habits
- Growing Pains (Benign nocturnal limb pains (BNLP)
- Hypermobility syndromes
- Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM)
- Localised scleroderma
- Sever's Disease
- Uveitis in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Medicines
- Adalimumab (Humira)
- Amitriptyline
- Azathioprine
- Cyclophosphamide
- Etanercept
- Hydroxychloroquine
- Leflunomide
- Methotrexate
- Mycophenolate mofetil
- NSAIDS
- Steroids
- Sulfasalazine
- Tofacitinib
- Tocilizumab
Resources about specific medications
- Anakinra - how to give injections at home
- Anakinra - how to give injections at home: a guide for adolescents
- Anakinra - training checklist for home administration
- Methotrexate - parent information
- Methotrexate - how to give injections at home
- Subcutaneous Methotrexate - parent information
- Subcutaneous Methotrexate - training checklist for home administration
- Humira information for children [drug company site not RCH information]
Resources for Adolescents
- Trapeze a supported leap into adult health care
- Transition...It's All About Growing Up and Moving On
- Finding the support you need: a guide for adolescents
- About joint injections - a guide for adolescents
- Becoming more independent in your healthcare: a guide for adolescents
- Breathing and relaxation strategies: a guide for adolescents
- Anakinra - how to give injections at home: a guide for adolescents
- Information for Young People with JIA
- Physiotherapy and JIA: a guide for adolescents
- Information for Parents/Carers About Moving from Children's Health Services to Adult Services
- Transition Fact Sheets
Paediatric Rheumatology InterNational Trials Organisation (PRINTO)
- PRINTO Auto inflammatory Disease Information
- PRINTO Paediatric Rheumatic Disease Information Sheets
- PRINTO Systemic Lupus Erythematosus