Pediatric Rheumatology on Point: Explore Breakthroughs & Networking Opportunities at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting

At this year’s ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, Nov. 8–13, all of the pediatric rheumatology sessions will take place in the same room, making it easy to access all of the exciting content. Planners hope this convenient setup facilitates networking before and after symposia.

“In pediatric rheumatology, we are very tight-knit community. This [event] is our opportunity to meet with each other, and the format will help us do our networking around our symposia,” says Anne M. Stevens, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington, Seattle, and the Annual Meeting Planning Committee Pediatrics Subcommittee chair for 2019.

New: The Pediatric Community Lounge
For the first time, the pediatric rheumatology community will have a dedicated hub at the ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. In the new lounge, pediatric attendees can hang out in comfortable seating areas, network with colleagues, watch live-streamed scientific sessions and grab a quick snack. Attendees will have plenty of opportunity to grab a coffee and chat with colleagues, or even launch new research collaborations.

Sessions with Broad Appeal
Dr. Stevens and her subcommittee have planned pediatric sessions that will appeal to a wide audience. “These are diseases adult rheumatologists see, as well, and they are often extremely severe diseases,” she says. “Pediatric rheumatologists may see them more often, but everyone will be interested in the new data coming out on these conditions.”

High participation from international pediatric rheumatologists is expected, so session content will reflect this globally diverse audience.

“In pediatric rheumatology, our diseases are so rare,” Dr. Stevens says. “I am involved in scleroderma research. And there are only one in three million—or about 270 pediatric patients—in the U.S. who have systemic sclerosis. So it’s a challenge to conduct this research and better understand the disease. It’s helpful to interact with colleagues at the Annual Meeting. Together, we can identify a cohort of patients and find out who may be interested in collaborating on trials. We are currently collaborating with a group in Turkey, for example. These accidental meetings at the Annual Meeting are so important. And this is an opportunity to increase that ‘accidental’ meeting rate.”

Exciting pediatrics sessions planned for the 2019 Annual Meeting include:

Therapeutic Approaches to Macrophage Activation Syndrome
Monday, Nov. 11, 8:30–10 a.m.
Quick macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) diagnosis and treatment initiation by a rheumatologist can save children’s lives. This session’s speakers will each lead groundbreaking clinical trials in IL-6, IL-18 and IL-23 treatments.

“MAS is not as rare as we once thought. It could be seen in autoimmune diseases, such as systemic onset juvenile arthritis or lupus, or in such settings as infection,” says Dr. Stevens. “When rheumatologists see MAS, they know how to recognize and treat it—and you can turn this [disease] around with the right treatment. We’ll have the top three experts at this session, and the focus is the role of treatment selection—picking the right treatment for the individual patient.”

Juvenile Localized Scleroderma: Does This Child Have Active Disease?
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Dermatologists may refer patients to rheumatologists who have juvenile localized scleroderma, which can cause deep scarring. “It’s very invasive, and can begin on the leg and then go into the brain,” Dr. Stevens says. “It’s a very slow disease, and it’s challenging to know if there is active scarring or if it’s more quiet. Do these patients need more immunosuppression or less?”

During the session, these important clinical questions, as well as the most recent data on ultrasound and thermography, will be discussed by experts in the field.