Pediatric Rheumatology Department
Pediatric rheumatology is a specialized field of medicine that treats children who suffer from pain in the musculoskeletal system and autoimmune disorders, the majority of which cause inflammation.
In the Pediatric Rheumatology Department at Sheba Medical Center, our expert team of physicians provides comprehensive diagnoses and treatments and conduct breakthrough research. We have an experienced team of pediatric specialists that provides gentle, compassionate, and integrative care, always attending to the unique needs of our young patients.
The Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital
The Pediatric Rheumatology Department at Sheba is located within the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, a vast facility dedicated entirely to children and their families. From A-Z, the services and atmosphere of our pediatric hospital is oriented towards kids.
Other departments in this hospital include:
- International Congenital Heart Center
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Department
- Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic
- Department of Pediatric Surgery
- Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department
- The Claudio Cohen Department of Pediatric Intensive Care
- The Raphael Cohen Pediatric Emergency Department
- The Pediatric Psychosomatic Department
- The Albert Katz Department of Neonatology
- The Weinberg Child Development Center
- The Pediatric Pulmonology Unit
- The Pediatric Metabolic Disease
- The Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit
- The Pediatric Nephrology Unit
- The Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit
- The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit
- The Institute for Rare Diseases
- The Pediatric Neurology Unit
- The Pediatric Stem Cell Research Institute
- The Institute of Pediatric Cardiology
- The Pediatric Community Medicine Unit
Diseases We Treat at the Pediatric Rheumatology Department
In the past, “rheumatism” was a term that encompassed a wide variety of inflammatory conditions of the joints and connective tissue. However, modern medicine has recognized that many of these disorders are also immune diseases, and the term “rheumatism” has been abandoned. At Sheba, our doctors provide precise diagnoses and treatments that are custom-tailored for each child and their specific condition.
We treat the following disorders:
- Chronic childhood arthritis – JIA
- Mediterranean fever – FMF
- PFAPA syndrome
- Rheumatic fever – Acute rheumatic fever
- Rare auto-inflammatory diseases such as TRAPS, CRMO and more
- Childhood lupus
- Antiphospholipid Syndrome – APS
- Vasculitis of various types (e.g., Henoch-Schonlein Purpura, HSP)
- Scleroderma
- Behcet’s disease
- Fibromyalgia and other pain syndromes
- Kidney disease as a result of rheumatic conditions, such as lupus or vasculitis
Types of Treatments at Sheba
Each type of pediatric rheumatic disease requires its own specialized treatment. The primary therapies that we provide at our Pediatric Rheumatology Department include:
- Anti-inflammatory medications: depending on your Sheba doctor’s personalized recommendation, various drugs may be used as a long-term treatment to alleviate any painful symptoms:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs): these medications, including ibuprofen and aspirin, reduce inflammation and pain.
- Steroids: this is usually the first line of defense for many inflammatory disorders, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, myositis, and vasculitis. These drugs, such as prednisone, contain hormones to treat rheumatic diseases and can be administered orally or as an injection.
- Disease-modifying antirheumatic medications (DMARDs): drugs that aim to change the progression of the particular disease, either by slowing its development and effects and/or by resolving abnormalities in the immune system associated with the disease.
- Biologics: advanced drugs designed using genetic engineering that reduce and stop the body’s inflammatory response.
- Autoimmune suppressants: these medications function by shutting off parts of the immune system, preventing the body from attacking healthy cells. Some autoimmune drugs have a very specific target, programmed to affect only certain molecules in the body that trigger and regulate inflammation.
- Physical therapy: these individualized exercises can enhance or maintain mobility, and they are a key part of our holistic treatment program. Physiotherapy also helps to promote a positive patient attitude.
Meet our Team
Irit Tirosh, MD
Irit Tirosh, MD
Director, Pediatric Rheumatology Department
Dr. Tirosh is a pediatric rheumatologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, Kawasaki disease and other rheumatic diseases of the joints, soft tissue, and connective tissue. She received her medical degree from the Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Ben-Gurion University, Beersheba, Israel.
Dedication to Holistic Healing
With deep consideration for your child’s overall well-being, the team at our Pediatric Rheumatology Department applies a multidisciplinary approach to each personalized treatment program. We understand that rheumatic diseases can affect all aspects of your child’s life – physical, psychological, intellectual, and social. In response, we offer patients and their families a variety of support services all under one roof at Sheba Medical Center. Also, to ensure that your overall experience is as comfortable and efficient as possible, a personal medical coordinator from our International Medical Tourism Division will assist with every detail. Our overriding mission is to help kids develop normally and enjoy life to its fullest.
