22
August
2018
|
07:00 AM
America/New_York

Bridging the treatment gap between pediatric, adult rheumatology care

Healio Rheumatology featured chief of pediatric rheumatology Karen Brandt Onel, MD, in an article about the treatment gap between pediatric and adult rheumatology care. According to the article, there is a shortage of pediatric rheumatologists in the country.

"There are not many children affected by rheumatic diseases in the United States, if you consider it collectively. As a nation of over 300 million people, none of these diseases are exactly common: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common and estimated to affect about 300,00 children in the U.S.," said Dr. Onel at the Rheumatology Nurses Society Annual Conference.

She warned that children treated by rheumatologists who do not specialize in pediatrics may not receive the same level of appropriate care as those treated by pediatric rheumatologists.

Additionally, Dr. Onel noted that by staying current with recent management guidelines and increasing exposure to pediatric rheumatology in fellowship programs, physicians could help reduce treatment disparity and improve the care of children with rheumatic diseases.

Read the full article at healio.com [subscription required].