Synopsis Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can involve any organ system with a wide range of disease manifestations, and can lead to significant morbidity and even mortality. This article reviews the epidemiology, common clinical features, complications of disease, and briefly discusses the available treatment options. In addition, important medical and psychosocial issues relevant to the pediatrician caring for children and adolescents with SLE are discussed.

Objective. To design and validate a new questionnaire for identifying patients with methotrexate (MTX) intolerance, and to determine the prevalence of MTX intolerance in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) using this questionnaire.Methods. The MTX Intolerance Severity Score (MISS) questionnaire was constructed, consisting of 5 domains: stomach ache, nausea, vomiting, sore mouth, and behavioral symptoms. The domains each consisted of 3 questions pertaining to the presence of a symptom upon, prior to (anticipatory), and when thinking of (associative) MTX intake. The MISS questionnaire was validated in 86 patients by determining its discriminative power between patients with and those without MTX intolerance, identified as such by a gold standard (physician's opinion). Using the MISS questionnaire, the prevalence of MTX intolerance was determined in 297 JIA patients.Results. The MISS questionnaire discriminated well between MTX-intolerant and MTX-tolerant patients. A cutoff score of 6 yielded the best sensitivity (88%) and specificity (80%). MTX intolerance was found in 150 (50.5%) of 297 patients. Of 220 patients receiving oral MTX, 98 (44.5%) experienced MTX intolerance, whereas 67.5% of 77 patients receiving parenteral MTX experienced intolerance to the drug (P ‫؍‬ 0.001).Conclusion. Our findings indicate that the MISS questionnaire is a highly sensitive and specific tool for the diagnosis of MTX intolerance, and that there is a high prevalence of MTX intolerance among JIA patients. The prevalence of intolerance in patients receiving parenteral MTX exceeds that in patients receiving oral MTX. The frequent occurrence of anticipatory and associative symptoms suggests that classic conditioning plays an important role in MTX intolerance.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, multisystem autoimmune disease with a highly variable clinical course. Pediatric-onset SLE (pSLE) represents 10-20% of all SLE cases, and is associated with higher disease severity, including more-rapid damage accrual, than adult-onset SLE. As in adults, pSLE disease expression varies according to ethnicity, with a milder disease course in white patients. The majority of pSLE patients will have developed damage within 5-10 years of disease onset, most frequently involving the musculoskeletal, ocular, renal and neuropsychiatric systems. Owing to improvements in disease management and recognition over the past 20-30 years, patients now live longer, but as a result have increased disease damage. Premature atherosclerosis and osteoporosis have become increasingly prevalent morbidities in pSLE patients. Early atherosclerosis leads to a considerable rise in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and failure to develop adequate peak bone mass during adolescence-a crucial period of bone accrual-is likely to lead to early osteoporosis and fractures. Patients with pSLE have an incurable, potentially devastating disease that occurs during a vulnerable period of psychosocial development, leading to specific and unique psychosocial stressors. Additional large, long-term follow-up studies in pSLE are needed to better understand the disease prognosis and to facilitate development of tailored treatments.

To develop standards and recommendations for transitional care for young people (YP) with juvenileonset rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases ( jRMD). The consensus process involved the following: (1) establishing an international expert panel to include patients and representatives from multidisciplinary teams in adult and paediatric rheumatology; (2) a systematic review of published models of transitional care in jRMDs, potential standards and recommendations, strategies for implementation and tools to evaluate services and outcomes; (3) setting the framework, developing the process map and generating a first draft of standards and recommendations; (4) further iteration of recommendations; (5) establishing consensus recommendations with Delphi methodology and (6) establishing standards and quality indicators. The final consensus derived 12 specific recommendations for YP with jRMD focused on transitional care. These included: high-quality, multidisciplinary care starting in early adolescence; the integral role of a transition coordinator; transition policies and protocols; efficient communications; transfer documentation; an open electronic-based platform to access resources; appropriate training for paediatric and adult healthcare teams; secure funding to continue treatments and services into adult rheumatology and the need for increased evidence to inform best practice. These consensus-based recommendations inform strategies to reach optimal outcomes in transitional care for YP with jRMD based on available evidence and expert opinion. They need to be implemented in the context of individual countries, healthcare systems and regulatory frameworks.

Objectives IgA vasculitis (IgAV, formerly known as Henoch–Schönlein purpura) is the most common cause of systemic vasculitis in childhood. To date, there are no internationally agreed, evidence-based guidelines concerning the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of IgAV in children. Accordingly, treatment regimens differ widely. The European initiative SHARE (Single Hub and Access point for paediatric Rheumatology in Europe) aims to optimize care for children with rheumatic diseases. The aim therefore was to provide internationally agreed consensus recommendations for diagnosis and treatment for children with IgAV. Methods Recommendations were developed by a consensus process in accordance with the EULAR standard operating procedures. An extensive systematic literature review was performed, and evidence-based recommendations were extrapolated from the included papers. These were evaluated by a panel of 16 international experts via online surveys and subsequent consensus meeting, using nominal group technique. Recommendations were accepted when ⩾80% of experts agreed. Results In total, 7 recommendations for diagnosis and 19 for treatment of paediatric IgAV were accepted. Diagnostic recommendations included: appropriate use of skin and renal biopsy, renal work-up and imaging. Treatment recommendations included: the importance of appropriate analgesia and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use and non-renal indications for CS use, as well as a structured approach to treating IgAV nephritis, including appropriate use of CS and second-line agents in mild, moderate and severe disease along with use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and maintenance therapy. Conclusion The SHARE initiative provides international, evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of IgAV that will facilitate improvement and uniformity of care.

Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a rare, multisystem and potentially life-threatening autoimmune disorder with significant associated morbidity. Evidence-based guidelines are sparse and management is often based on clinical expertise. SHARE (Single Hub and Access point for paediatric Rheumatology in Europe) was launched to optimise and disseminate management regimens for children and young adults with rheumatic diseases like cSLE. Here, we provide evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of cSLE. In view of extent and complexity of cSLE and its various manifestations, recommendations for lupus nephritis and antiphospholipid syndrome will be published separately. Recommendations were generated using the EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) standard operating procedure. An expert committee consisting of paediatric rheumatologists and representation of paediatric nephrology from across Europe discussed evidence-based recommendations during two consensus meetings. Recommendations were accepted if >80% agreement was reached. A total of 25 recommendations regarding key approaches to diagnosis and treatment of cSLE were made. The recommendations include 11 on diagnosis, 9 on disease monitoring and 5 on general treatment. Topics included: appropriate use of SLE classification criteria, disease activity and damage indices; adequate assessment of autoantibody profiles; secondary macrophage activation syndrome; use of hydroxychloroquine and corticosteroid-sparing regimens; and the importance of addressing poor adherence. Ten recommendations were accepted regarding general diagnostic strategies and treatment indications of neuropsychiatric cSLE. The SHARE recommendations for cSLE and neuropsychiatric manifestations of cSLE have been formulated by an evidence-based consensus process to support uniform, high-quality standards of care for children with cSLE.

Lupus nephritis (LN) occurs in 50%-60% of patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE), leading to significant morbidity. Timely recognition of renal involvement and appropriate treatment are essential to prevent renal damage. The Single Hub and Access point for paediatric Rheumatology in Europe (SHARE) initiative aimed to generate diagnostic and management regimens for children and adolescents with rheumatic diseases including cSLE. Here, we provide evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of childhood LN. Recommendations were developed using the European League Against Rheumatism standard operating procedures. A European-wide expert committee including paediatric nephrology representation formulated recommendations using a nominal group technique. Six recommendations regarding diagnosis and 20 recommendations covering treatment choices and goals were accepted, including each class of LN, described in the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society 2003 classification system. Treatment goal should be complete renal response. Treatment of class I LN should mainly be guided by other symptoms. Class II LN should be treated initially with low-dose prednisone, only adding a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug after 3 months of persistent proteinuria or prednisone dependency. Induction treatment of class III/IV LN should be mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or intravenous cyclophosphamide combined with corticosteroids; maintenance treatment should be MMF or azathioprine for at least 3 years. In pure class V LN, MMF with low-dose prednisone can be used as induction and MMF as maintenance treatment. The SHARE recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of LN have been generated to support uniform and high-quality care for all children with SLE.

UVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS (JIA) is the most common childhood rheumatic disease, with a prevalence between 16 and 150 per 100 000. 1 Patients with JIA may be susceptible to infections through the immunosuppressive effect of their disease or its treatment. 2,3 Preventing infections in patients with JIA requires effective and safe vaccinations that induce protective immune responses, have no severe adverse effects, and do not affect JIA disease activity. The live attenuated measles-mumpsrubella (MMR) vaccine is administered to children worldwide via national immunization programs (NIPs). In immunocompromised patients, concern exists about the safety of live attenuated vaccines given the theoretical risk of enhanced replication of the attenuated pathogens in these patients. 4 The safety of MMR vaccination in particular has been questioned in patients with JIA because the rubella component has been linked to the induction of arthritis in small uncontrolled studies. 5 Although controlled trials have failed to establish this association, 6 the pos-Author Affiliations are listed at the end of this article.