Prevalence of and annual ambulatory health care visits for pediatric arthritis and other rheumatologic conditions in the United States in 2001–2004

Abstract

Pediatric arthritis estimates have varied widely because it is an umbrella term for which there are many definitions and because it is a relatively uncommon condition from a population surveillance perspective. Our estimates suggest that arthritis-related health care visits impose a substantial burden on the pediatric health care system. One advantage of this surveillance paradigm is that it has established a starting point for tracking the national prevalence of arthritis and rheumatologic conditions in children on an ongoing basis using existing infrastructure rather than expensive new surveys. This surveillance system will help us monitor and predict the health care needs of patients with these conditions.