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Beyond Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Lupus and Juvenile Dermatomyositis: The Spectrum...
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Beyond Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Lupus and Juvenile Dermatomyositis: The Spectrum of Pediatric Rheumatic Disease

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2026 | Viewed by 1245

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Kelly A. Rouster-Stevens

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
2. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
Interests: lupus; juvenile dermatomyositis; pediatric rheumatology
Dr. Elaine R. Flanagan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
2. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
Interests: juvenile arthritis (JIA); uveitis; chronic non-infectious osteomyelitis (CNO)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rheumatic diseases have been documented for centuries, yet the distinction between rheumatic disease in children and adults was not mentioned until 1897, when Still described a form of chronic arthritis in a child. It was not until 1976, at the inaugural American Rheumatism Association (ARA) Conference on the Rheumatic Diseases of Childhood in Park City, Utah, that pediatric rheumatology was founded. The following year, the European Union Against Rheumatism developed a classification of childhood arthritis at a conference in Oslo, Norway. Over the last 50 years, this field has greatly expanded, with significant progress being made in disease pathophysiology, therapeutics, and genetics. While disease etiology remains unclear for most pediatric rheumatologic diseases, patient outcomes are far better. This Special Issue will highlight the tremendous contributions to the field, which have resulted in improving the lives of children with pediatric rheumatologic disease. We welcome you to join us in fostering collaboration and progress in pediatric rheumatology. Your work will help us shape the future of research and inspire new directions in caring for children with rheumatic disease.

Dr. Kelly A. Rouster-Stevens
Dr. Elaine R. Flanagan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pediatric rheumatology
  • juvenile idiopathic arthritis
  • childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus
  • juvenile dermatomyositis
  • autoinflammatory syndromes
  • immune dysregulation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

21 pages, 642 KB  
Review
Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research over the Past Decade in Japan
by Tasuku Tamai, Hiroyuki Wakiguchi and Kenji Ihara
Children 2026, 13(2), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13020250 - 11 Feb 2026
Viewed by 921
Abstract
Background: Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a rare, serious autoimmune disease characterized by multiorgan involvement and long-term morbidity. Although several studies have examined this condition in Japan, a comprehensive summary of recent findings remains lacking. Methods: PubMed was searched for [...] Read more.
Background: Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a rare, serious autoimmune disease characterized by multiorgan involvement and long-term morbidity. Although several studies have examined this condition in Japan, a comprehensive summary of recent findings remains lacking. Methods: PubMed was searched for Japanese publications on cSLE published between 2015 and 2025, including clinical studies, case reports, translational research, basic science studies, systematic reviews, clinical practice guidance, and transition care guidance. Results: Sixty publications met the inclusion criteria: 20 clinical studies, 30 case reports, 6 translational studies, 1 basic science study, 1 systematic review, 1 clinical practice guidance, and 1 transition care guidance. Most clinical studies were retrospective, although multicenter and registry-based designs have increased in recent years. Lupus nephritis remained the primary research focus, with accumulating evidence supporting mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and early belimumab as glucocorticoid (GC)-sparing approaches. Case reports illustrated the broad clinical spectrum of cSLE, with hematological and vascular complications being the most frequently reported. Translational studies highlighted the pathogenic role of type I interferon signaling and cytokine dysregulation, particularly in macrophage activation syndrome. Despite these advances, prospective studies and standardized assessment methods for pediatric-specific practice remain limited. Conclusions: Over the past decade, cSLE research in Japan has contributed to a deeper understanding of its clinical and immunological characteristics. However, treatment-related complications and long-term organ damage remain important challenges. Continued multicenter collaboration and domestic data accumulation may strengthen the evidence base, facilitate optimization of GC-sparing approaches, improve clinical management, and provide background information to support future discussions on clinical practice guidelines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Beyond Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Lupus and Juvenile Dermatomyositis: The Spectrum of Pediatric Rheumatic Disease)
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