Pediatric Rheumatology

Ronald M. Laxer, MDCM, FRCPC, Guest Editor

David D. Sherry, MD, Guest Editor

The pediatric rheumatic diseases comprise a diverse group of disorders that range from mild and self-limited (eg, transient synovitis) to devastating and fatal (eg, macrophage activation syndrome). They can be extremely well-localized (eg, oligoarthritis affecting only one joint) or involve multiple systems (eg, systemic lupus erythematosus). A solid knowledge of the basic sciences such as biochemistry, immunology, and genetics is central to their understanding, and a very careful and thorough clinical approach is required to make a diagnosis. Tremendous advances in the basic sciences have allowed clinicians to understand and therefore manage patients with rheumatic diseases better.

It is with great pleasure that we present this issue of Pediatric Clinics of North America on the rheumatic diseases that afflict children. As we considered the brave new world of pediatric rheumatology, we enlisted the help of a new generation of pediatric rheumatologists to bring fresh insights and vitality to his or her topic. Each author has kept the front-line pediatrician in mind to address the problems that occur generally in the children under one’s care as well as a framework to evaluate those rare patients who present with problems that bespeak a significant rheumatic condition.

The broad scope of this volume makes it, like so many other Pediatric Clinics of North America , a valuable reference that will serve the pediatrician for many years as a readable and useful resource for pediatric rheumatology. Each author took care to address the practical problems faced in sorting out laboratory tests, picking out pertinent symptoms and signs to help establishing diagnoses, as well as initiating treatment.

As editors, we want to thank all the authors for their skill and expertise, which has made our jobs quite easy. Additionally, we are grateful for the help and support provided by Kerry Holland at Elsevier in making this volume possible and the editorial process painless.

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