Patients & Families

Our Service

Our clinical team has been assembled to facilitate the evaluation and treatment of children with rheumatic diseases.

Each child referred to the arthritis/rheumatology program will be seen by a pediatric physician and nurse specializing in the evaluation and care of children with rheumatic diseases.

Coordination of visits with consultants in other pediatric medical specialties, pediatric physical and occupational therapy, and pediatric ophthalmology can also be arranged when needed through this program.

Our Patients

Children are seen from a wide geographical area, most commonly Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Michigan (UP).  The most common reasons for these visits are:

Juvenile Arthritis (JIA)

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)

  • Oligoarticular
  • Polyarticular
  • Systemic

Spondyloarthropathy (Enthesitis-Arthritis) Syndromes

  • Enthesitis-Associated JIA
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Arthritis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Reactive Arthritis/Reiter's Syndrome
  • Psoriatic JIA

Other Rheumatic Diseases

  • Behcet's Disease
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
  • Sjogren's Syndrome
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
  • Systemis Scleroderma
  • Systemic Vasculitis

Infection-Related Arthritis

  • Lyme Arthritis
  • Post-Infectious Arthritis
  • Viral Arthritis

Appointments 

Children are seen on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in the Explorer Clinic-Pediatric Specialty Care in the Riverside East Building.

Clinic Map and Parking Information

New patient appointments are scheduled through the Pediatric Rheumatology Office at (612) 626-4598.  We need the mailing addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers for your child's primary care physician and consultants.  Appointments are scheduled only after we receive relevant medical records, including physician notes, laboratory results, x-rays, and reports.

Returning patient appointments are scheduled directly through the clinic at (612) 365-6777 or through the Health Access Line at 1 (888) 256-9787.

For all types of appointments, be sure to bring shorts and a short-sleeved t-shirt for your child to wear during the examination, and any new laboratory, x-ray, or physician reports that were not already sent.

Contact

If you have questions or concerns about your child, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Denise Erlanson, RN, BSN, and Nora Fitzsimmons, RN, BSN, our primary nurses for the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, can help answer questions about your child's rheumatic condition, medications, and tests.  They can be reached directly at (612) 626-4597 or toll free via (855) 267-5289.

For emergencies after hours or on the weekends, please call the paging operator at (612) 273-3000 or toll free at (855) 267-5289 and ask to speak to the physician on-call for Pediatric Rheumatology.

Sheng Xiong, our clinical administrative coordinator, can help with appointments, prescription refills, records forwarding, and other office matters.  She can be reached directly at (612) 626-4598 or toll free via (855) 267-5289.

Rheumatology