Follow-up of Children with PFAPA Syndrome

Pediatricians have been aware of the syndrome of periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) since 1987, when it was first described. Symptomatic episodes usually occur every 4 to 6 weeks and last 4 or 5 days, resolving spontaneously. In many children, tonsillectomy reduces the episodes of fever; in most, a single dose of steroids administered at fever onset aborts the episode. Although symptoms often abate after a few years, little precise information is available on the course of PFAPA. Now, researchers have reviewed follow-up data on children who were entered into a PFAPA registry. This registry included 94 patients who were treated for the syndrome at Vanderbilt University Medical Center or Connecticu…