Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology
Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology

In China, the pediatric rheumatology and immunology discipline started relatively late. The Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology was established in 2016 and is one of the few specialized units in the country dedicated to treating childhood rheumatic diseases. It is also the earliest pediatric rheumatology and immunology department established within a comprehensive hospital in Guangdong Province. It has accumulated extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Henoch-Schönlein purpura, Kawasaki disease, ANCA-associated vasculitis, pulmonary hemosiderosis, refractory asthma, refractory nephropathy, congenital inflammatory diseases, and immunodeficiency disorders. It has established standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment pathways. In recent years, the rational use of biologics and the application of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have brought new hope for patients with severe rheumatologic and immunologic diseases. Currently, the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of our Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology subspecialty have reached a nationally leading level.
Subspecialty Features:
(I) Led by a "Lingnan Renowned Physician," with a Skilled Team Facilitating Early Diagnosis
The department director, Professor Tan Weiping, graduated from the English-taught medical program of Sun Yat-sen University Medical School. With 30 years of clinical and teaching experience, she possesses extensive expertise in diagnosing and treating childhood asthma and complex rheumatologic-immunologic disorders. She was recognized as a "Lingnan Renowned Physician" in 2019 and 2020. Professor Tan has assembled a well-grounded and inquisitive team. The department operates outpatient clinics for rheumatology & immunology, asthma, pediatric immunology, and nephrology. The inpatient ward has 20 dedicated beds, initially meeting the outpatient needs of children with rheumatologic and immunologic conditions, ensuring patients receive early diagnosis and standardized treatment.
(II) Leveraging the Yixian Platform to Ensure Successful Management of Complex and Critical Cases
Relying on the hospital's robust multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment platform, our laboratory department can assess the immune status of children with rheumatologic-immunologic diseases (including detailed lymphocyte subsets, neutrophil function, complement function, and cytokine levels), utilize the most advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to detect infectious pathogens, and employ second-generation sequencing methods to analyze genetic defects. This provides a solid foundation for diagnosing and treating complex and critical pediatric rheumatology cases. Our subspecialty leads face-to-face multidisciplinary team (MDT) consultations involving specialists from Rheumatology, Radiology, Cardiology, Orthopedics, Pathology, Hematology-Oncology and Transplantation, and basic immunology experts. This approach has clarified the diagnostic and therapeutic direction for many complex cases, enabling patients to benefit earlier and more effectively.
(III) Enhancing Interdisciplinary and Inter-hospital Exchange to Advance Academics
Since 2017, we have consecutively organized the national continuing medical education course "Course on Advances in Standardized Diagnosis and Treatment of Pediatric Allergic and Immunologic Diseases" for four years, with nearly 300 participants per session. By exchanging and sharing experiences with national experts in pediatric rheumatology and immunology, we not only enhance our influence but also continuously improve the academic capabilities of our subspecialty, better serving our patients.

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Featured Medical Technology

The Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology keeps pace with the latest international and domestic advancements, having established standardized protocols for diagnosing and treating pediatric rheumatic diseases. It performs techniques such as renal biopsy, lumbar puncture with intrathecal injection, joint cavity aspiration, biopsy, and intra-articular medication administration. In recent years, the application of novel biologic agents (e.g., TNF-α antagonists, tocilizumab, omalizumab, belimumab) has significantly improved the clinical efficacy for rheumatologic and immunologic diseases, reduced disability rates in arthropathies and mortality rates in systemic lupus erythematosus, and enhanced the quality of life for affected children.
(1) Four years ago, our department pioneered mesenchymal stem cell infusion therapy for idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH) and severe refractory lupus in children, achieving favorable outcomes. We are currently applying for regulatory filing of this project with the health commission, hoping to assist more children with IPH.
(2) For severe abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura resistant to glucocorticoid therapy, our department initiated treatment with mycophenolate mofetil three years ago, with marked efficacy. This approach first solved this challenging clinical problem, preventing children from progressing to severe complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding, intussusception, and intestinal perforation.
(3) Recently, for children with severe refractory lupus nephritis, we have introduced adjunctive therapy with interleukin-2, with preliminary satisfactory results.
(4) Recently, for children with severe allergic rhinitis concurrent with asthma, we have implemented rush immunotherapy for house dust mite allergens, significantly shortening the dose-escalation phase and providing a more convenient desensitization option for school-aged children.

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Scientific Research Results

The department has a strong reserve of teaching faculty and has achieved excellent outcomes in education:
1.Dr. Zhang Bihong serves as the teaching secretary. She was awarded the Outstanding Young Teacher title in 2018 and 2020, received the Second Prize in the Guangdong Provincial Undergraduate Online Teaching Excellent Case Competition in 2020, the "Ye Rengao-Li Youji" Clinical Medicine Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Teacher Teaching Award and the Third Prize in the English Teaching Competition in 2019, and the First Prize in the Chinese Group of the Hospital's Young and Middle-aged Teacher Teaching Competition in 2016.
2.Dr. Wang Haiyan (Resident Standardized Training Secretary): Received the Excellence Award and the Third Prize in the Chinese Group of the Hospital-level Young and Middle-aged Teacher Teaching Competitions in 2019 and 2018, respectively.
3.In 2020, several disease modules from the Rheumatology and Immunology subspecialty (such as Rheumatic Fever, Kawasaki Disease, Nephrotic Syndrome, etc.) were recorded as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) to serve as supplementary teaching materials for undergraduate education.
4.Professor Tan Weiping, as a master's supervisor, has trained over 10 master's students.
In scientific research, we have published more than 10 SCI-indexed papers and several articles in Chinese core journals, and have secured 1 provincial/ministerial-level research grant. Representative publications include:
1.Clinical outcome in pediatric refractory gastrointestinal Henoch-Schönlein purpura treated with mycophenolate mofetil (European Journal of Pediatrics, 2020, 179(9): 1361-1366);
2.The vascular densities of the macula and optic disc in normal eyes from children by optical coherence tomography angiography (Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 2020, 258(2): 437-444);
3.A Novel RAG1 Mutation in a Compound Heterozygous Status in a Child With Omenn Syndrome (Frontiers in Genetics, 2019, 10: 913);
4.Detection of IL-9 producing T cells in the PBMCs of allergic asthmatic patients (BMC Immunology, 2017, 18(1): 38);
5.WT1 mutation-associated nephropathy: a single-center experience (Clinical Nephrology, 2017, 87(5): 245-254);
6.Corticosteroid in Combination with Leflunomide and Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of Pediatric Idiopathic Pulmonary Hemosiderosis (Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 2017, 63(5): 389-394);
7.Familial analysis of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic fever syndrome. Chinese Journal of Pediatrics, 2019, 57(6): 477-482.
8.Differential immunomodulatory effects of tofacitinib on cytokine secretion by human peripheral blood T cells and monocytes in vitro. Immunological Journal, 2019, 35(10): 853-859.
9.Clinical diagnosis and treatment of Majeed syndrome and literature review. Chinese Journal of Applied Clinical Pediatrics, 2019, 34(19): 1500-1502.

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Expert Team
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Tan Weiping
chief physician
Master Tutor