Because rheumatic conditions affect kids differently than adults, many families who face these types of illnesses often don’t get the straightforward answers they need. Here, our dual-specialized rheumatology and immunology provider leads a team that can provide the kind of care and answers you need. Through individualized treatment plans and family-centered care, our experts will support and guide your family as we navigate your child’s treatment journey together.
Find the right pediatric rheumatologist, immunologist or location that’s convenient for you.
Dr. Thatayatikom, affectionately known by his patients as Dr. Ben, is the only physician in Central Florida who holds certifications in both pediatric rheumatology and immunology. This dual-specialty approach to care benefits children with specific autoimmune diseases that cause problems in joints and the musculoskeletal system.
Delivering the Utmost Expertise for Every Condition
AdventHealth for Children is home to comprehensive pediatric rheumatology and immunology care. Beyond childhood arthritis, we also treat systemic autoimmune diseases, immune-mediated diseases and immune destruction. From inflammatory conditions that affect their joints, muscles, bones and internal organs to autoimmune conditions where their immune system attacks the body’s own healthy tissues, our team has you covered.
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Acute and Chronic Joint Diseases
Like adults, kids may develop joint diseases as well. Whether your child needs acute or long-term care, our experts offer solutions to meet your child’s needs for:
Acute rheumatic fever and post-infectious arthritis
Arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease
Biologic infusion therapy
Hypermobility joint syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS)
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Musculoskeletal ultrasonography and joint injection
Psoriatic arthritis
Spondyloarthropathies and ankylosing spondylitis
Common Autoimmune Diseases
If your child is diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, our team is here to support you. We offer comforting care for:
Anti-phospholipid syndrome
Juvenile dermatomyositis
Mixed connective tissue disease
Scleroderma (systemic and localized)
Sjögren’s syndrome
Systemic lupus erythematosus or lupus
Perplexing Autoimmune Diseases
We’re devoted to understanding and treating your child’s autoimmune disease, whether it’s common or complex. Trust our team to develop a care plan for:
Autoimmune encephalitis
Autoinflammatory syndromes
Blau syndrome or early-onset sarcoidosis
Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) or chronic noninfectious osteomyelitis (CNO)
Fever of unknown origin (FUO)
Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis (PFAPA)
Relapsing polychondritis
Vasculitis
Vasculitis is a term for a group of conditions that cause inflammation in the blood vessels. You and your family can count on us for expert care for vasculitis, including conditions like:
Behcet’s syndrome (also called Behcet’s disease)
Cerebral vasculitis
Henoch-Schönlein purpura
Kawasaki disease
Polyarteritis nodosa
Takayasu arteritis
Wegener granulomatosis and ANCA-associated vasculitis
Immunodeficiencies
We’re committed to providing safe, evidence-based care for a variety of immunodeficiency disorders, including:
Abnormal immune lab results
Asplenia and hyposplenism
Genetic syndromes with immunodeficiency
Hypogammaglobulinemia
Immune dysregulation syndrome
Primary and secondary immunodeficiencies
Meet Your Care Team
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Specialized Care Through Musculoskeletal Ultrasounds
At AdventHealth for Children, we offer non-invasive, radiation-free musculoskeletal ultrasounds to enhance your child’s care. This procedure allows our experts to thoroughly assess your child’s response to treatment and helps improve joint injection accuracy and outcomes.
Author name
Stacie Pohlman
Author title
Noah and Jonah's Mom
Compassionate Care for the Whole Family
Quote
Dr. Akaluck Thatayatikom, has been a rock to our family, directing the care of Noah and Jonah since 2013. Dr. Ben is a brilliant rheumatologist and is always thinking of ways to improve Noah and Jonah's quality of life, while living with a chronic illness.
Author name
Stacie Pohlman
Author title
Noah and Jonah's Mom
Rheumatology and Immunology Frequently Asked Questions
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What is immunology?
Immunology is the study of the immune system and is a very important branch of the medical and biological science fields. The immune system protects from infection through various lines of defense. If the immune system is not functioning properly, it can result in disease, such as immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, allergy and even cancer.
What does an immunologist do?
An immunologist is a scientist and/or clinician who specializes in providing comprehensive care for children and adults with abnormal immune systems or immune-mediated diseases.
Many immunologists work in laboratories focusing on research and scientific developments. Clinical immunologists are physicians who focus on the diagnosis and management of diseases related to the immune system, such as immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases and allergies.
What does a rheumatologist do?
A pediatric rheumatologist is a pediatrician who specializes in diagnosing and treating inflammatory diseases, diseases with an over-activated immune system and autoimmune conditions that affect any organs (such as joints, tendons, muscles, brain, lung, heart, or kidneys).
A pediatric rheumatologist will use medications and other modalities of treatment to best meet each patient’s needs. They may also perform joint injections but do not perform surgery.
What does a rheumatologist treat for pediatric patients?
Pediatric rheumatologists treat rheumatic diseases in children. Generally speaking, they will provide comprehensive care to children with rheumatologic diseases, like arthritis or lupus, through non-surgical interventions.
How do pediatric orthopedists treat autoimmune and rheumatic diseases?
Pediatric rheumatologists and pediatric orthopedists both treat rheumatic diseases but in different ways. Pediatric orthopedists perform surgeries to improve joint function and a patient’s quality of life.
What can a rheumatologist diagnose for pediatric patients?
Pediatric rheumatologists are experts in treating many types of inflammatory diseases, arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, including:
Acute and chronic joint diseases
Common and perplexing autoimmune diseases
Diseases from an over-activated immune system, leading to organ damage in children
What are reasons to see a rheumatologist for pediatric patients?
If your child is facing one or more of the following, we recommend contacting our pediatric rheumatology and immunology team:
Your child has unexplained symptoms, such as unknown fever, fatigue, weakness or unrelenting pain
Your child has unexplained physical findings
Your child has unexplained abnormal lab results
Your child has an undefined autoimmune disease
Your child has an unclear diagnosis with a strong family history of autoimmune disease
Your child has a disease with a high risk of developing autoimmune diseases, such as immunodeficiency, infectious disease, endocrine disease or genetic and metabolic disease
Your child’s symptoms are persistent or worsening despite treatment
Your child's doctor is unable to diagnose the underlying cause of your perplexing symptoms
Your child’s inflammatory symptoms are flaring more frequently or more severely
Your child can no longer handle daily tasks
Your child is becoming increasingly immobile and homebound
Your child’s condition is lowering their quality of life
Start Here for the Care Your Family Deserves
Now is the time to focus on your child, not logistics. Our multidisciplinary care team not only helps children get the medical care they need and deserve, they also help families find hope and confidence. Whatever the need, big or small, we’re here to support every member of the family throughout your child's care journey.
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