title: Paediatric rheumatology clinic population in Southeast Asia: are we different?
abstract: To examine the descriptive epidemiology of the patient population referred to paediatric rheumatology centres (PRCs) in Southeast Asia (SEA) and to compare the frequency of conditions encountered with other PRC populations.
  
  
  
  A web-based Registry for Childhood Onset Paediatric Rheumatic Diseases was established in 2009 and seven PRCs in four SEA countries, where paediatric rheumatologists are available, participated in a prospective 24 month data collection (43 months for Singapore).
  
  
  
  The number of patients analysed was 4038 (788 from Malaysia, 711 from the Philippines, 1943 from Singapore and 596 from Thailand). Over 70% of patients evaluated in PRCs in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand had rheumatic diseases (RDs), as compared with one-half of the proportion seen in Singaporean PRCs, which was similar to the Western PRC experience. Among RDs diagnosed (n = 2602), JIA was the most common disease encountered in Malaysia (41%) and Thailand (61%) as compared with systemic vasculitides in the Philippines (37%) and Singapore (35%) among which Henoch-Schönlein purpura was the most prevalent. SLE and related diseases were more common, but idiopathic pain syndrome and abnormal immunological laboratory tests were rarer than those seen in the West. JIA subtype distributions were different among countries. Among non-RDs (n = 1436), orthopaedic and related conditions predominated (21.7-59.4%).
  
  
  
  The frequencies of RDs seen by SEA PRCs were different from those in the West. Systemic vasculitides and SLE were common in addition to JIA. Paediatric rheumatologist availability and healthcare accessibility partially explain these observed discrepancies.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology and Immunology Service, Department of Pediatric Subspecialties, KK Women's and Children's Hospital.|Department of Paediatrics, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.
authors.forename: Thaschawee
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arkachaisri
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Rheumatology Unit, Selayang Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Swee-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health.
authors.forename: Tassalapa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daengsuwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health.
authors.forename: Gun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Phongsamart
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Ramathibodi Hospital.
authors.forename: Soamarat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vilaiyuk
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sirirat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Charuvanij
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing, KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
authors.forename: Sook Fun
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Hoh
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology and Immunology Service, Department of Pediatric Subspecialties, KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
authors.forename: Justin Hung Tiong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology and Immunology Service, Department of Pediatric Subspecialties, KK Women's and Children's Hospital.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ang
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Yiong Huak
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Rheumatology Section, Department of Pediatrics, University of Santo Tomas Hospital, Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: Christine B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Bernal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D056660:Hereditary Autoinflammatory Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D011695:IgA Vasculitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics; D010679:Philippines / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D012219:Rheumatology; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D056647:Systemic Vasculitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Malaysia; Philippines; Singapore; Southeast Asia; Thailand; clinic population; paediatric rheumatology; registry