Youthful Exuberance: The Year in Review for Pediatric Rheumatology

On a different subject, Dr. Ruth highlighted a study from Jaeggi and colleagues that sought to answer the question: why are some, but not all, offspring of anti-Ro antibody-positive mothers affected by the cardiac manifestations (e.g., heart block and endocardial fibroelastosis) of neonatal lupus? The study looked at antibody-positive mothers referred for serial fetal cardiac assessment at ≤20 weeks’ gestation either for those a) at risk for cardiac manifestations of neonatal lupus (CNL) or b) with a new diagnosis of CNL. Maternal anti-Ro 52 and anti-Ro 60 were measured using a chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA), and additional testing on diluted serum samples was used to quantify anti-Ro 60 antibody titers above the analytical measuring range (AMR) of the standard CIA. The authors found that among 27 mothers with a fetal diagnosis of CNL all displayed anti-Ro 60 antibody titers that exceeded the AMR of the CIA by at least 10-fold. In both the group of patients at risk for and with confirmed CNL in the fetus, there was a positive relationship between event rates of CNL and higher anti-Ro 60 titers.¹⁰

In Sum

The session covered many more topics beyond those described above and speaks to the pace at which new knowledge is being discovered across the world of pediatric rheumatology. Thanks to Dr. Turnier and Dr. Ruth, the audience was able to get a taste of the many advances being seen in this specialty, and much more is likely to come in 2025.

Jason Liebowitz, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York.

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