Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Clin Pediatr. Jun 9, 2026; 15(2): 114270
Published online Jun 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i2.114270
Published online Jun 9, 2026. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v15.i2.114270
Use of nailfold capillaroscopy for evaluation of disease activity in juvenile dermatomyositis: Results of a two-center retrospective study
Vera Podzolkova, Department of Children’s Diseases, N.F. Filatov Clinical Institute of Chil
Ilia S Avrusin, Asel Nurseitova, Kira Kravtsova, Aleksandra Malahova, Alexandr A Yakovlev, Sergey L Avrusin, Olga V Kalashnikova, Vyacheslav G Chasnyk, Mikhail M Kostik, Hospital Pediatry, Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, Saint Petersburg 194100, Russia
Maria Nikolaeva, Elena Afonina, Department of Pediatric Rheumatology No. 1, Clinic of Children’s Diseases, Sechenov’s Center of Maternity and Childhood, Sechenovskiy University, Moscow 119991, Moskva, Russia
Siuzanna Davtian, Internal Diseases Faculty, N.V. Sklifosovskiy Institute of Clinical Medicine, Sechenovskiy University, Moscow 119991, Moskva, Russia
Co-first authors: Vera Podzolkova and Ilia S Avrusin.
Author contributions: Podzolkova VA, Avrusin IS, Nikolaeva M, Afonina E, Davtian S, Nurseitova A, Kravtsova K, Malahova A, Yakovlev AA, Avrusin SL, and Kalashnikova OV collected the data; Podzolkova VA, Avrusin IS, and Davtian S performed nailfold capillaroscopy and developed the original draft; Yakovlev AA and Chasnyk VG performed statistical analysis and compiled sections of the manuscript; Kostik MM developed the original draft, provided overall scientific oversight and supervision; and all authors thoroughly reviewed and endorsed the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Sechenovskiy University, approval No. 08-25.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Mikhail M Kostik, MD, PhD, Professor, Hospital Pediatry, Saint Pe
Received: September 16, 2025
Revised: November 6, 2025
Accepted: January 14, 2026
Published online: June 9, 2026
Processing time: 239 Days and 14.9 Hours
Revised: November 6, 2025
Accepted: January 14, 2026
Published online: June 9, 2026
Processing time: 239 Days and 14.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study demonstrates that specific nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) abnormalities - notably giant capillaries, perivascular edema, and severely reduced capillary density - are strongly correlated with clinical disease activity in juvenile dermatomyositis. We quantitatively prove that these NFC features are significantly more prevalent in active juvenile dermatomyositis, positioning NFC as a valuable, non-invasive tool for monitoring microvascular damage and assessing disease activity in children, extending its traditional use to scleroderma spectrum disorders.