With his clinic resuming in-person visits, Jay Mehta, MD, says his patients and staff have proved remarkably adaptable, embracing telemedicine during the early days of the pandemic and now facemasks during appointments.
ACR Releases COVID-19 & MIS-C Clinical Guidance for Kids with Rheumatic Disease
The ACR has released clinical guidance documents for pediatric patients with rheumatic disease in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, including one for multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Jay Mehta, MD, MS, an attending physician in the Division of Rheumatology and director of the Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP),…
ACR Releases Clinical Guidance for Patients with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
The recommendations for MIS-C focus on general guidance, diagnostic evaluation and therapy options, as well as comparing and contrasting the features of MIS-C and Kawasaki disease.
ACR Releases COVID-19 Clinical Guidance for Pediatric Patients with Rheumatic Disease
The recommendations for pediatric rheumatology patients address various treatment options and provide general guidance, as well as direction for when to start, stop or reduce medications.
Caring for Pediatric Patients During a Pandemic: Q&A with Jay Mehta, MD
Caring for pediatric patients during a pandemicin the age of COVID-19 requires adaptations, says Jay Mehta, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “The one exposure that seems to put [pediatric] patients at risk is if they are on higher doses of steroids, with some data suggesting worse outcomes. We just put out guidelines telling providers to reduce steroids in their patients to the lowest dose that can adequately control their disease.”
Patient Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity: Do You Need to Know?—Ethics Forum
A 17-year-old girl presents to the pediatric rheumatology clinic for follow-up of recently diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) characterized by class IV lupus nephritis, photosensitive rash and antiphospholid antibody positivity. She is currently being treated with prednisone, mycophenolate mofetil, and hydroxychloroquine. She is accompanied by her mother, who has been very involved in the patient’s…
JIA & the Temporomandibular Joint: Diagnostic Challenges & Treatment Options
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) can affect all joints, including the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). For a long time, the TMJ was a “forgotten” joint in pediatric rheumatology, although Sir Frederick Still did comment on a small mandible in his first case series on juvenile arthritis in 1897. In recent years, more attention has been given to…
Thoughtful Pediatric Care: Pediatric Cases Require Special Considerations & Aggressive Treatment Plans
In Canada, five provinces will now reimburse patients with plaque psoriasis who use risankizumab. Also, Canada Health has approved apremilast for treating adults with plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis…
Washington Legislature Introduces Student Loan Forgiveness Bill
A bill introduced in January in the Washington Legislature would allow pediatric and juvenile rheumatologists to access the state’s loan forgiveness program.
Support Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment to Boost Workforce Growth
Current legislation that stipulates a loan repayment program for pediatric subspecialists could help the pediatric rheumatology community attract trainees and meet patient demand.