Challenges in the diagnosis and management of Pediatric Rheumatology in the developing world: Lessons from a newly...

Pediatric rheumatology is still considered a mysterious branch of pediatric medicine, especially among developing countries. Long-term consequences usually follow delayed diagnosis, referral, and management of rheumatic disorders. We aim to describe the clinical spectrum and the frequency of pediatric rheumatic diseases (PRDs) in AL-Mukalla hospital in Hadhramout province/Yemen. A case record retrospective study was conducted among all patients who attended the pediatric rheumatology clinic in Al-Mukalla hospital (from January 2010 to December 2016) with a musculoskeletal complaint or systemic symptoms suggestive of rheumatic disease. Data collected included: gender, address, age at the onset of symptoms, initial manifestations, the presence of complications, referral diagnosis, final diagnosis and the lag period before attending the rheumatology clinic. PRDs were present in 86% (37/43) of cases, 83.8% (31/37) were from Hadhramout province. Male to female ratio was 0.9:1 (Male: 18; Female: 19) and the commonest age group affected was (>9-12) years. The mean age at first presentation was 8.859 ± 4.11 years (four months-14 years). One year (0.13-98.4 months) was the median time before referral to the rheumatologist. About 70.3% of cases were referred from other specialists or peripheral hospitals. Joint swelling (54.1%) was the most common presentation and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (24.3%) was the commonest diagnosis. The discrepancy between the referral and the final diagnosis was noticed in 21(48.8%) cases. Only eight cases (18.6%) matched the final diagnosis. Two patients died with a mortality rate of 5.4%. Knowledge of the spectrum and incidence of PRDs will increase the awareness of specialists and general practitioners for early referral and diagnosis to avoid long-term sequels.