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Inflammatory sacroiliitis in childhood
A Gedalia1, N Watemberg, M Rotschild
1Department of Pediatrics, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
The Journal of Rheumatology
|February 1, 1990
Summary
Inflammatory sacroiliitis is a rare, transient condition in young children presenting with refusal to walk. This benign condition, often misdiagnosed, resolves without lasting effects.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Unilateral inflammatory sacroiliitis is uncommon in pediatric patients.
- Early diagnosis is crucial to differentiate from septic arthritis and other rheumatic conditions.
Observation:
- Two young children, a 27-month-old boy and a 10-month-old girl, presented with refusal to walk due to unilateral inflammatory sacroiliitis.
- Both exhibited elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rates with negative HLA-B27, and normal initial radiographic findings of sacroiliac (SI) joints, lumbosacral spines, and hip joints.
- Joint/bone scans showed increased radionuclide uptake in affected SI joints, with computerized tomography revealing abnormalities in one case.
Findings:
- The pediatric patients diagnosed with inflammatory sacroiliitis showed improvement and full recovery with aspirin treatment.
- No long-term sequelae were observed in either case, indicating a benign and transient disease course.
- The condition is rare in young children and may be misdiagnosed as septic arthritis.
Implications:
- Inflammatory sacroiliitis in children is a self-limiting condition that requires prompt recognition and appropriate management.
- Distinguishing inflammatory sacroiliitis from septic arthritis is critical to avoid unnecessary aggressive treatments.
- Further research into the etiology and optimal management of pediatric inflammatory sacroiliitis is warranted.