Pediatric Rheumatology

Our pediatric rheumatologists care for children with conditions that cause their immune systems to attack their own joints, muscles, and connective tissues. Although many rheumatic diseases cannot be completely cured, modern medical therapies can help your child achieve significant improvement in their symptoms or eliminate signs of disease for extended periods of time to enjoy a healthy life.

Advanced care

Our rheumatology team prioritizes early intervention, advanced science-based treatment options, personalized rehabilitation plans, and in-depth patient education to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients and families.

Board-certified team

Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is the second largest pediatric rheumatology center in Michigan, and our team includes three pediatric rheumatologists — out of only a few hundred practicing in the entire country. This allows us to provide the highest level of care to as many children as possible, right here in West Michigan.

Child-centered

Our team manages complex medical conditions and also nurtures your child’s emotional, social, and functional well-being. We provide care with compassion and empathy, giving families time to discuss their concerns and empowering them to make the best health care decisions for their children.

Collaborative approach

We collaborate with pediatric nephrologists (kidney experts), dermatologists, physical therapists, and other medical specialists to provide comprehensive management for complex diseases that affect multiple parts of the body.

Our pediatric rheumatology team is dedicated to the early recognition and diagnosis of rheumatic diseases, prioritizing swift intervention to prevent complications and improve quality of life. We treat a wide range of conditions, including:

Autoinflammatory diseases

These conditions cause frequently recurring fevers and sometimes other symptoms. They occur when the body activates immune cells without any clear reason to do so. Examples include:

• Familial Mediterranean fever, which can cause chest, abdominal, and joint pain in addition to fever
• Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcer), pharyngitis, adenitis (PFAPA), which causes fever, canker sores in the mouth, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes

Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM)

This disorder usually causes skin rashes (especially on the cheeks, eyelids, and joints) and sore, weak muscles. Without proper treatment, symptoms can spread to other areas of the body and even become life-threatening.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)

This includes a range of conditions that cause a child’s immune system to attack the inner lining and interior fluid of joint capsules. Because these provide lubrication and shock absorption for the joint, the result is swelling, pain, and stiffness. It includes juvenile spondylarthritis, which specifically targets the joints of the spinal column and hips.

Lupus

This condition causes inflammation throughout the body, which can damage a wide variety of organs — including the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, joints, skin, and more. Flare-ups come and go and can include pain, rashes, sores, fatigue, swelling, confusion, and many other symptoms depending on which body systems are being affected.

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD)

Doctors use this term when a child develops a few symptoms of rheumatic disease — such as joint pain, muscle weakness, or fatigue — but they don’t meet the criteria to be diagnosed with any specific condition. UCTD may eventually progress to a defined diagnosis, such as lupus, if symptoms worsen or new symptoms develop.

Vasculitis

These conditions cause the walls of blood vessels (arteries, veins, or capillaries) to swell, which narrows the channel blood can flow through. This can cause a wide variety of symptoms (such as fever, headache, fatigue, pain, or weight loss) depending on which vessels are affected and how severe the swelling is.

We provide a full range of diagnostic and treatment options for children with rheumatological conditions, including:

Diagnostic evaluation

Because many rheumatic conditions can have similar symptoms, accurate diagnoses and effective treatments often require a detailed analysis. Our team conducts thorough medical histories and physical exams, orders specialized blood tests, and carefully considers all the possible explanations for your child’s symptoms — especially when it isn’t clear what’s causing them.

Immunotherapy management

Our team provides medications and therapies that can improve symptoms of immune disorders by either lowering the body’s overall immune response (immunosuppressants) or increase it (immunomodulators). We closely monitor your child to ensure that treatments have the intended effect.

Psychosocial support

Rheumatic diseases often require lifelong treatment. We provide resources and guidance to help children and families manage the emotional and social challenges of chronic illness.