PFAPA flares observed during COVID outbreak: can emotional stress trigger PFAPA attacks? A multicenter cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

It is common knowledge among clinicians who treat PFAPA (Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis) patients that emotional stress can trigger PFAPA attacks similarly to other autoinflammatory diseases. However, it has never been proved scientifically. Our aim was to examine whether emotional stress serves as a trigger for PFAPA attacks.

Methods

Patients aged 3-12 years, with active PFAPA, from two Israeli medical centers were enrolled to this study. Patient's parents were reached via phone calls in two occasions: a stressful period related to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a less stressful period. In both times they were asked to report occurrence of PFAPA attacks in the preceding 2 weeks. The relative stress levels of the two periods were

SUBMITTER: Levinsky Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9264301 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature