Despite major scientific advances, delivering high-quality care for children with inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases remains challenging. The field of paediatric rheumatology lies at the intersection of different disciplines, and requires excellent highly specialised medical expertise based on rapidly deepening knowledge in rheumatology and immunology. At the same time, this field relies on compassionate paediatricians understanding the needs of developing children as a vulnerable population. Training pathways and professional recognition vary widely between countries, and formal subspecialty accreditation is available inconsistently. Based on a Europe-wide expert survey, this Viewpoint examines why paediatric rheumatology is still not universally recognised as a distinct subspecialty and how insufficient access to formal accreditation leads to fragmented representation and low visibility of this discipline. We argue that stronger international advocacy involving patients and families is urgently required to support the sustainable development of the field and to ensure equitable, evidence-based, developmentally and psychologically appropriate care for all affected children.

Drug development for osteoarthritis (OA) has faced significant challenges, mainly due to the lack of alignment between joint structure observations and patient-reported outcomes (PROs), such as pain. Weight loss has been linked to positive effects on symptomatic outcomes. Blood-based biomarkers indicating collagen and extracellular matrix turnover can be used to measure injury severity in specific tissues, offering a more precise assessment of disease progression. This study aimed to explore the relationship between obesity and PROs and its impact on serum and urinary biomarkers of bone (CTX-I and osteocalcin), synovial (type III collagen degradation and C3M), and cartilage (type II collagen degradation, CTX-II, and C2M) turnover.

Systemic sclerosis-associated heart involvement (SHI) is an enigmatic disease manifestation associated with high mortality. The Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium (SCTC) Cardiac Working Group developed SHI classification criteria to enable systematic investigation of this condition.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease that can affect multiple organs, including the musculoskeletal system and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This study aimed to determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) among patients with SSc.

The optimal treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is far from being fully elucidated. Only a few trials explored the role of conventional DMARDs: none of them adequately ruled out subclinical giant cell arteritis (GCA). The aim of this study was to assess whether the precocious administration of methotrexate (MTX) and a short course of glucocorticoids (GCs) could be safe and effective in recently diagnosed PMR.

Rheumatic disease registries systematically collect real-world longitudinal data, improving patient care and research. Despite the high burden of rheumatic diseases, national registries are scarce in the Middle East. Rheumatology Research Center, with support from Iran’s Ministry of Health, launched Rheumatry in 2016 as the country’s first national rheumatic disease registry.

In SLE, expanded B cell subtypes like double-negative 2 (DN2) may harbour autoreactivity, which may be linked to impaired checkpoint regulation. We investigated checkpoint molecule CD72 on B cells, its clinical associations, and dynamic changes upon rituximab (RTX) treatment.

Assessing quality of life in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is essential for capturing the full burden of the disease beyond clinical and imaging findings. Quality of life measures support clinicians in identifying unmet patient needs and informing treatment decisions. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the first Bulgarian version of the Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) questionnaire.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a major cause of morbidity in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). Cyclophosphamide (CYC) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) are recommended first-line induction therapies, yet comparative pediatric real-world data, particularly from Asian populations, remain limited. This study compared the effectiveness of CYC and MMF for induction of renal remission and evaluated patterns and predictors of treatment switching among Filipino children with LN.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is routinely used in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) but not in limited cutaneous (lc)SSc. This may miss an opportunity to slow disease progression. MINIMISE-Pilot tested the feasibility of an open-label event-driven randomised trial of MMF vs no immunosuppression in lcSSc.

Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a challenging manifestation of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), often relapsing and poorly responsive to immunosuppressive treatment. Current guidelines lack specific recommendations for SGS management and evidence is limited. This study aimed to identify features of SGS associated with a more aggressive course and to assess the efficacy of available treatments in preventing relapses.

To examine contemporary trends in mortality due to granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) in Europe.

Sjogren's disease (SjD) shows a strong female predominance, but the contribution of age-related hormone changes to this sex bias remains uncertain. We investigated whether natural hormonal transitions across the lifespan align with variation in male and female prevalence of SjD.

SSc is a rare rheumatological disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite significant recent international clinical trial activity, the yield of approved compounds has been disappointingly low. Our aim was to identify and prioritize potential 'druggable' targets with insights from human genetics, by integrating the available evidence with publicly available bioinformatics sources relevant for SSc drug development.

Systemic autoimmune and chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases predominantly affect childbearing women. These women are at greater risk for pregnancy complications stemming from both the underlying disease and the treatments required to manage it. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of effective contraceptive use across a wide range of diseases including systemic lupus, systemic sclerosis, Sharp syndrome, Sjögren’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and spondyloarthritis.

The continuous increase in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in various areas of human life has brought about great changes in many sciences, among which is the health sector. ChatGPT and DeepSeek belong to the category of Large Language Models (LLMs) developed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) using supervised and reinforcement learning techniques. The aim of this article is to evaluate the accuracy and consistency of ChatGPT and DeepSeek models in the diagnosis and treatment of two rheumatologic diseases, ankylosing spondylitis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Arthritis research in Canada has historically lacked focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), as studies show limited reporting of equity-related factors and underrepresentation of participants who are historically from underserved communities. To address this, the objective of this study was to gather feedback from arthritis researchers in Canada to inform the development of a health equity-focused demographic survey for arthritis outcomes research.

Digitalization is reshaping healthcare delivery, including how physicians and the pharmaceutical industry interact. Rheumatology care is a particularly dynamic field, where digital technologies are increasingly integrated into both clinical care and pharmaceutical engagement. Despite growing digital collaboration, little is known about healthcare professionals’ perspectives on these developments.

Smoking presents significant challenges for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) yet understanding of their smoking habits and perceptions remains limited. This study explores preferences regarding tobacco cessation strategies, barriers to success in cessation, and perceived needs in this population.

Mitophagy has been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), particularly in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), yet its regulatory landscape and diagnostic relevance remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to identify mitophagy-associated genes (MRGs) in RA and to explore their potential diagnostic value using integrative bioinformatics and interpretable machine learning approaches.