Vyzhga Y, Wittkowski H, Hentgen V, Georgin-Lavialle S, Theodoropoulou A , et al.
Pediatric rheumatology online journal •
Systemic autoinflammatory disorders (SAIDs) represent a growing spectrum of diseases characterized by dysregulation of the innate immune system. The most common pediatric autoinflammatory fever syndrome, Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA), has well defined clinical diagnostic criteria, but there is a subset of patients who do not meet these criteria and are classified as undefined autoinflammatory diseases (uAID). This project, endorsed by PRES, supported by the EMERGE fellowship program, aimed to analyze the evolution of symptoms in recurrent fevers without molecular diagnosis in the context of undifferentiated AIDs, focusing on PFAPA and syndrome of undifferentiated recurrent fever (SURF), using data from European AID registries. Data of patients with PFAPA, SURF and uSAID were collected from 3 registries including detailed epidemiological, demographic and clinical data, results of the genetic testing and additional laboratory investigations with retrospective application of the modified Marshall and PRINTO/Eurofever classification criteria on the cohort of PFAPA patients and preliminary SURF criteria on uSAID/SURF patients. Clinical presentation of PFAPA is variable and some patients did not fit the conventional PFAPA criteria and exhibit different symptoms. Some patients did not meet the criteria for either PFAPA or SURF, highlighting the heterogeneity within these groups. The study also explored potential overlaps between PFAPA and SURF/uAID, revealing that some patients exhibited symptoms characteristic of both conditions, emphasizing the need for more precise classification criteria. Patients with recurrent fevers without molecular diagnoses represent a clinically heterogeneous group. Improved classification criteria are needed for both PFAPA and SURF/uAID to accurately identify and manage these patients, ultimately improving clinical outcomes.
Gerritsma AM, Sutera D, Cantarini L, Cattalini M, Lachmann HJ , et al.
Clinical and experimental rheumatology •
To describe the clinical phenotype and response to treatment of autoinflammatory disease (AID) patients with the TNFRSF1A-pR92Q variant compared to patients with tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) due to pathogenic mutations in the same gene and patients diagnosed with other recurrent fever syndromes including periodic fever with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis (PFAPA) and syndrome of undefined recurrent fever (SURF). Clinical data from pR92Q variant associated AID, classical TRAPS, PFAPA and SURF patients were obtained from the Eurofever registry, an international, multicentre registry enabling retrospective collection of data on AID patients. In this study, 361 patients were enrolled, including 77 pR92Q variant, 72 classical TRAPS, 152 PFAPA and 60 SURF patients. pR92Q carriers had an older age of disease onset than classical TRAPS and PFAPA patients. Compared to pR92Q variant patients, classical TRAPS patients had more relatives affected and were more likely to have migratory rash and AA-amyloidosis. Despite several differences in disease characteristics and symptoms between pR92Q variant and PFAPA patients, part of the pR92Q variant patients experienced PFAPA-like symptoms. pR92Q variant and SURF patients showed a comparable clinical phenotype. No major differences were observed in response to treatment between the four patient groups. Steroids were most often prescribed and effective in the majority of patients. Patients with AID carrying the TNFRSF1A-pR92Q variant behave more like SURF patients and differ from patients diagnosed with classical TRAPS and PFAPA in clinical phenotype. Hence, they should no longer be diagnosed as having TRAPS and management should differ accordingly.
Gattorno M, Hofer M, Federici S, Vanoni F, Bovis F , et al.
Annals of the rheumatic diseases •
Different diagnostic and classification criteria are available for hereditary recurrent fevers (HRF)-familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic fever syndrome (TRAPS), mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD) and cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS)-and for the non-hereditary, periodic fever, aphthosis, pharyngitis and adenitis (PFAPA). We aimed to develop and validate new evidence-based classification criteria for HRF/PFAPA. Step 1: selection of clinical, laboratory and genetic candidate variables; step 2: classification of 360 random patients from the Eurofever Registry by a panel of 25 clinicians and 8 geneticists blinded to patients' diagnosis (consensus ≥80%); step 3: statistical analysis for the selection of the best candidate classification criteria; step 4: nominal group technique consensus conference with 33 panellists for the discussion and selection of the final classification criteria; step 5: cross-sectional validation of the novel criteria. The panellists achieved consensus to classify 281 of 360 (78%) patients (32 CAPS, 36 FMF, 56 MKD, 37 PFAPA, 39 TRAPS, 81 undefined recurrent fever). Consensus was reached for two sets of criteria for each HRF, one including genetic and clinical variables, the other with clinical variables only, plus new criteria for PFAPA. The four HRF criteria demonstrated sensitivity of 0.94-1 and specificity of 0.95-1; for PFAPA, criteria sensitivity and specificity were 0.97 and 0.93, respectively. Validation of these criteria in an independent data set of 1018 patients shows a high accuracy (from 0.81 to 0.98). Eurofever proposes a novel set of validated classification criteria for HRF and PFAPA with high sensitivity and specificity.
Vanoni F, Caorsi R, Aeby S, Cochard M, Antón J , et al.
Pediatric rheumatology online journal •
Diagnosis of Periodic Fever, Aphthous stomatitis, Pharyngitis and Cervical Adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome is currently based on the modified Marshall's criteria, but no validated evidence based classification criteria for PFAPA has been established so far. A multistep process, based on the Delphi and Nominal Group Technique was conducted. After 2 rounds of e-mail Delphi survey involving 21 experts in autoinflammation we obtained a list of variables that were discussed in an International Consensus Conference. Variables reaching the 80% of consensus between participants were included in the new classification criteria. In the second phase the new classification criteria and the modified Marshall's criteria were applied on a cohort of 80 pediatric PFAPA patients to compare their performance. The Delphi Survey was sent to 22 participants, 21 accepted to participate. Thirty variables were obtained from the survey and have been discussed at the Consensus Conference. Through the Nominal Group Technique we obtained a new set of classification criteria. These criteria were more restrictive in respect to the modified Marshall's criteria when applied on our cohort of patients. Our work led us to identify a new set of classification criteria for PFAPA syndrome, but they resulted to be too restrictive to be applied in daily clinical practice for the diagnosis of PFAPA.
Vanoni F, Federici S, Antón J, Barron KS, Brogan P , et al.
Pediatric rheumatology online journal •
Diagnosis of Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) is currently based on a set of criteria proposed in 1999 modified from Marshall's criteria. Nevertheless no validated evidence based set of classification criteria for PFAPA has been established so far. The aim of this study was to identify candidate classification criteria PFAPA syndrome using international consensus formation through a Delphi questionnaire survey. A first open-ended questionnaire was sent to adult and pediatric clinicians/researchers, asking to identify the variables thought most likely to be helpful and relevant for the diagnosis of PFAPA. In a second survey, respondents were asked to select, from the list of variables coming from the first survey, the 10 features that they felt were most important, and to rank them in descending order from most important to least important. The response rate to the first and second Delphi was respectively 109/124 (88%) and 141/162 (87%). The number of participants that completed the first and second Delphi was 69/124 (56%) and 110/162 (68%). From the first Delphi we obtained a list of 92 variables, of which 62 were selected in the second Delphi. Variables reaching the top five position of the rank were regular periodicity, aphthous stomatitis, response to corticosteroids, cervical adenitis, and well-being between flares. Our process led to identification of features that were felt to be the most important as candidate classification criteria for PFAPA by a large sample of international rheumatologists. The performance of these items will be tested further in the next phase of the study, through analysis of real patient data.
Hernández-Bou S, Giner M, Plaza AM, Sierra JI, Martín Mateos MA
Allergologia et immunopathologia •
PFAPA syndrome (Periodic Fever, Aphtas, Pharyngitis and cervical Adenopathies) is one of the causes of periodic fever in pediatrics and it is characterised by high fever, pharyngitis, cervical adenitis and aphtous stomatitis. Its etiopathogeny is unknown. The diagnosis is clinical and the findings of laboratory are unspecified. One or two doses (1 mg/kg) of oral prednisone are enough for a fast resolution of the clinic. It is a benign syndrome and no sequels have been noticed after its disappearance, usually in four years from its beginning. We present the case of a 10-year-old patient who has been diagnosed of PFAPA syndrome after 3 years and a half of characteristic clinical bouts, with the fulfilment of diagnostic criteria and after having excluded other entities of similar presentation. Periodic episodes of high fever, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis with a bad response to the conventional treatment should alert us to the PFAPA syndrome. The recognition of this entity will help us to improve the diagnostic and therapeutical focusing, lowering also the anxiety that these cases produce.
