Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Comprehensive medicine, cilt.18, sa.2, ss.161-167, 2026 (TRDizin)
ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the frequency, causes, and risk factors of emergency department visits among children diagnosed with rheumatologic diseases. Materials and Methods: Patients aged 0–18 years with a diagnosis of a rheumatologic disease who presented to the Pediatric Emergency Department for any reason between June 2024 and June 2025 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic characteristics, diagnoses, treatments, and reasons for emergency department visits were recorded. Diagnoses were categorized into four groups: periodic fever syndromes, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and/or uveitis, vasculitis, and connective tissue diseases. Results: A total of 366 patients were included; 50.8% were female and 49.2% were male. The most common diagnoses were familial Mediterranean fever (41.2%) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (21.5%). The median number of emergency department visits during the previous year was 1 (range, 1–10). Patients with periodic fever syndromes had a significantly higher frequency of emergency department visits compared with other groups (p=0.003). Younger age at diagnosis was also associated with more frequent emergency department visits (p = 0.044). The leading reasons for visits were infections (45.8%) and disease flares (42.3%). Patients receiving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had a lower frequency of visits (p=0.03). In multivariate analysis, periodic fever syndrome was identified as an independent risk factor for multiple emergency department visits (OR: 1.914; 95% CI: 1.118–3.275). Conclusion: In pediatric patients with rheumatologic diseases, infections represent the most common cause of emergency department visits. Younger age at diagnosis and periodic fever syndromes are important factors associated with increased visit frequency. These findings suggest that distinguishing disease flares from infections and providing family education may help optimize the management of emergency department visits. Keywords: Causes of emergency department visits, emergency department, pediatric rheumatolog