Abstract

Objective: To determine the pediatric musculoskeletal disease burden in a tertiary care hospital.
Methodology: This retrospective observational study was conducted at the Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital, Islamabad, and included all pediatric patients who presented in the rheumatology clinic or for whom a consultation was sought in the pediatric ward from March 2014 to March 2024. The data were retrieved from the patient records and entered into SPSS version 23.
Results: Out of 751 patients, 364(48.4%) were male, and 387(51.5%) were female. Most of the patients (n=609, 81.1%), were between 11-16 years of age. Joint pains accounted for most of the referrals, which were seen in 479 patients (63.8%). Of these patients, 222(29.5%) were found to be suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), of which the oligoarticular variety was the commonest. The second most common presentation was non-rheumatological pain, found in 139(18.5%) patients. However, among the rheumatological disorders, the second most common diagnosis was juvenile SLE, accounting for 40(5.4%) participants. Soft tissue rheumatism was seen in only 33(4.4%) of all the patients.
Conclusion: JIA was the most common diagnosis found among the referrals sent to our rheumatology clinic.

Key words: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, JIA, systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE, connective tissue diseases, CTD.