Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32711565›Full record

Trial reportItalian journal of pediatrics2020

Proposal for a new therapeutic high dosage of Pidotimod in children with periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome: a randomized controlled study.

Sara Manti, Federica Filosco, Giuseppe Fabio Parisi, Giuseppe Germano Finocchiaro, Maria Papale, Andrea Giugno, Patrizia Barone, Salvatore Leonardi

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Italian journal of pediatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. From Legacy to Innovation: Pidotimod's Expanding Therapeutic Horizon.Mediterranean journal of hematology and infectious diseases · 2025
    Review
  5. Pidotimod in pediatrics: new evidence and future perspectives.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2024
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Sara MantiPediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy.
Federica FiloscoPediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy.
Giuseppe Fabio ParisiPediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy. gf.parisi@policlinico.unict.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4291-0195
Giuseppe Germano FinocchiaroPediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy.
Maria PapalePediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy.
Andrea GiugnoPediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy.
Patrizia BaronePediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy.
Salvatore LeonardiPediatric Respiratory Unit - San Marco Hospital, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Viale Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, 95121, Catania, Italy.
University of Catania · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite to PFAPA syndrome is considered a benign and self-limited condition in childhood its impact on patients and families can be remarkable in many cases. Currently, the therapeutic options for managing are non-specific and no consensus exists about the best treatment to use. Pidotimod has been suggested as a new potential treatment in PFAPA syndrome for its immunodulatory effects. We conducted a preliminary, prospective, controlled, open, cross-over trial to assess the efficacy and the safety of Pidotimod in the treatment of children with PFAPA syndrome.

methods22 children with PFAPA syndrome were randomly allocated to treatment with pidotimod (with 2 vials of 400 mg daily) in combination with betamethasone 0.5-1 mg on need, based on parents/caregivers' decision (group A) or betamethasone 0.5-1 mg on need, based on parents/caregivers' decision (group B). Each treatment period was for 3 months (Phase 1), after that patients were switched to the other arm for other 3 months (Phase 2). Efficacy was expressed in terms of number of episodes of fever, pharyngitis, or aphthous stomatitis, as well as the additional use of betamethasone on need. Safety and tolerability of the Pidotimod were evaluated on the basis of the number and type of adverse events (AEs) recorded during the treatment.

resultsPatients receiving Pidotimod and use betametasone showed a significant decrease in frequency of fevers (p = 0.002); number of episodes of pharyngitis (p = 0.049); aphthous stomatitis (p = 0.036) as well as the betamethasone use on need (p = 0.007). Overall, 19/22 (86.4%) showed benefits from Pidotimod administration. The safety profile of Pidotimod was excellent as no serious adverse events have been reported in the treated groups.

conclusionsWe firstly showed that high dosage of Pidotimod could be an effective and safe to reduce the PFAPA attacks in children.

Indexed as

BetamethasoneChildChild, PreschoolCross-Over StudiesFamilial Mediterranean FeverFemaleGlucocorticoidsHumansImmunologic FactorsLymphadenitisMalePharyngitisProspective StudiesPyrrolidonecarboxylic AcidStomatitis, AphthousSyndromeBetamethasoneGlucocorticoidsImmunologic FactorspidotimodPyrrolidonecarboxylic AcidThiazolidinesBetamethasoneChildrenHigh dosageImmunomodulationPFAPAPidotimodTreatment

Identifiers

PMID32711565
PMCPMC7382793
OpenAlexW3044386886

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.