MANAGEMENT OF COLLAGEN VASCULAR DISEASES IN CHILDHOOD

Collagen vascular diseases seen in children include systemic, discoid and neonatal lupus, dermatomyositis, scleroderma, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and, in rare cases, Sjogren's syndrome. Although these dise ases are uncommon in children, when seen, they are associated with sig nificant morbidity. This review describes the clinical features of eac h condition and provides an overview of treatment options now availabl e. These include numerous systemic treatments which can be used as ste roid-sparing agents.