Juvenile spondyloarthropathies: inflammation in disguise.

Spondyloarthropathies are inflammatory conditions of the spine, joints, and entheses that present in a variety of ways. They can take years to develop and there are no pathognomonic laboratory tests that confirm a diagnosis. Because of this, they can be difficult to diagnose, particularly in children.

Treatment of pediatric localized scleroderma with methotrexate.

Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of methotrexate (MTX) for the therapy of pediatric localized scleroderma (LS).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for 17 pediatric patients with LS who failed topical therapy and were subsequently treated with MTX (12.5-25 mg weekly) with or without oral corticosteroids.