Rheumatology for Children

If your child complains of pain in bones, joints, muscles or tendons or if you notice redness, swelling, tiredness, loss of appetite or similar changes in your child’s health, talk with your doctor about potential problems and discuss a possible referral to a pediatric rheumatologist at OU Health in Oklahoma City.

Expert Care for Your Child’s Immune System Disorder

When you choose Oklahoma Children’s Hospital rheumatology specialists, your child receives expert care and treatment that recognizes the ways their growing bodies differ from adults and how they require specialized medical approaches. Through extended medical education focused only on immune system conditions and illnesses that affect children and adolescents, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital pediatric rheumatologists understand how to interpret your child’s symptoms.

Symptoms of Autoimmune Disorders in Children

Although many autoimmune disorders share the same symptoms – which makes proper diagnosis a challenge – you can rely on Oklahoma Children’s Hospital pediatric rheumatologists to thoroughly evaluate immune system conditions and provide care and treatment that fits your child’s specific situation. Your child may experience multiple symptoms in different parts of the body, including:

• Unexplained muscle, bone or joint pain
• Tiredness or weakness that could signal issues with red blood cells (anemia)
• Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
• Inflammation, such as rash, fever, redness or swelling

Children’s Inflammatory Conditions

Your pediatric rheumatologist understands the special needs of growing bodies and how your child’s health can be affected by inflammatory and immune system conditions such as:

• Chronic vasculitis – Long-term inflammation of blood vessels that restricts blood flow
• Dermatomyositis – Muscle disease involving inflammation and skin rash
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis – Chronic joint pain and swelling
• Lupus – Body-wide response to immune dysfunction
• Periodic fever
• Scleroderma – Abnormal growth and hardening of connective tissue inside the body causing muscle and joint pain and swelling
• Spondyloarthritis – Group of diseases related to the vertebral column (spine) involving lower back pain that decreases with activity

Treatments & Services for Children’s Autoimmune Disorders

At Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, you’ll work with our dedicated pediatric rheumatology specialists to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s health, reach a precise diagnosis and develop an individualized treatment plan that addresses your child’s specific situation. For a diagnosis of lupus, a special OU Health program can help your child learn to live well with this long-term condition that may periodically flare up or go into remission.

Your Child Benefits from Innovative Research Close to Home

For immune system disorders, the advanced treatments provided by your child’s OU Health care team result from innovative autoantibody testing through our CLIA-approved laboratory. Health professionals and researchers across Oklahoma and surrounding states also depend on this specialized laboratory, because it meets federal regulatory requirements for accuracy, reliability and timeliness.

Your child also benefits from breakthrough treatments to address autoimmune conditions developed through our regular participation in clinical trials at OU Health.