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Objective.To determine whether neutropenia is associated with increased risk for infection in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pcJIA) treated with tocilizumab (TCZ).Methods.Data up to Week 104 from 2 phase III trials of intravenous TCZ in sJIA (n = 112; ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00642460) and pcJIA (n = 188; ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00988221) were pooled. Worst common toxicity criteria grade and lowest observed absolute neutrophil count (ANC) were identified for each patient. Associations between patient characteristics and lowest observed ANC were tested using univariate regression analysis. Infection and serious infection rates per 100 patient-years (PY) in periods associated with grades 1/2 and 3/4 neutrophil counts were compared with rates associated with normal neutrophil counts.Results.ANC decreased to grade ≥ 3 in 25.0% and 5.9% of sJIA and pcJIA patients, respectively, and decreases were transient. Young age (p = 0.047) and methotrexate use (p = 0.012) were positively associated with neutropenia in patients with sJIA but not in patients with pcJIA. The rate of serious infections in patients with sJIA (10.9/100 PY; 95% CI 6.8–16.5) tended to be higher than in patients with pcJIA (5.2/100 PY; 95% CI 3–8.5). No increase in rates of serious or nonserious infections was observed during periods of neutropenia in either trial.Conclusion.Patients with JIA treated with TCZ experienced transient neutropenia that was not associated with an increased number of infections.

Summary In the present study 19 Greek Caucasian children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), onset before the age of 16, were followed up for 1–12 years (mean 5.6 yrs.). Diagnosis was determined early in 14 patients and delayed by 2 to 6 years in 5. The clinical manifestations and laboratory findings did not differ significantly from those reported in adults with lupus. The major organ system involvement at onset and early course were skin and joints (80%) followed by kidneys (42%). During the course of the disease 26% of the children developed central nervous system (CNS) involvement. All the patients were treated with steroids and/or cytotoxic drugs in severe uncontrolled progressive disease. At the mean 5.6 years follow-up most patients were in remission on small doses of steroids; one patient still presents signs of active lupus nephritis and one patient died from sepsis. All the patients with CNS involvement recovered without permanent CNS residue.

Summary Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE) has been described in adults in the last decade and represents a particular homogenous subgroup in which the skin lesions can be distinguished from scarring discoid lupus lesions both on a morphologic and histopathologic basis. This entity, however, seems to be very uncommon in childhood. In the present study we describe the clinical, immunological and histopathologic characteristics of a young girl who, at the age of 3, developed SCLE.

A 12-year-old boy who developed primary Sjogren syndrome and a girl, whose diagnosis of secondary Sjogren syndrome was established at the age of 3, are reported. The importance of some unusual manifestations at disease onset and possible differences in expression between children and adults are briefly discussed.