Rheumatic diseases in childhood: Clinical and immunological characteristics of a pediatric cohort at a tertiary hospital.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the clinical, immunological, and healthcare characteristics of patients attended in a Pediatric Rheumatology unit of a tertiary Spanish hospital over ten years.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study including all patients under 18 years evaluated between 2014 and 2024. Demographic data, diagnoses, immunological profile, presence of uveitis, treatments, and final healthcare status were collected.

RESULTS

A total of 925 patients were evaluated; 59.8% were female. The most prevalent disease in the clinic was JIA (29.4%), with oligoarticular JIA being the most frequent subtype (49.2%), of whom 71.5% were positive for ANA and 17.7% had uveitis. Autoinflammatory diseases accounted for 10.2% and connective tissue diseases for 7.4%. At the time of analysis, 45.3% were still followed in paediatric care, and 9% were in transition to adult consultations.

CONCLUSIONS

Our case series is similar to that described in other Pediatric Rheumatology units in our region, highlighting the higher frequency of oligoarticular JIA and its association with positive ANA.