Serum-sickness-like disease is a common cause of acute arthritis in children.
Among 283 children in a prospective study of arthritis we found 15 patients with a self-limited serum-sickness-like disease consisting of urticaria or joint erythema and mostly polyarticular arthritis. The mean duration of joint symptoms was 5.9 days. A preceding infection was reported in 12 patients and 12 had received drugs, the therapy starting on average 12.8 days before the onset of joint symptoms. In 9 cases the drug was penicillin. Four patients had recurrent attacks. Circulating immune complexes were detected in the serum of 12 patients, but specific IgE antibodies to penicillin only in 3 patients. The estimated annual incidence of the condition was 4.7/100,000 children under age 16.
D000293:Adolescent; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004890:Erythema / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D010406:Penicillins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012713:Serum Sickness / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D014581:Urticaria / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology
D010406:Penicillins; D007073:Immunoglobulin E