Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42026657›Full record

ArticleOrphanet journal of rare diseases2026

Casting light on the potential connection: exploring the relationship between periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome and Behҫet in the Druze population in Israel.

Adan Gharra, Gil Amarilyo, Liora Harel, Yoel Levinsky, Rotem Tal, Adi Miller-Barmak, Bronya Sluvis, Yonatan Butbul Aviel

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Article in Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Adan GharraThe Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Gil AmarilyoPediatric Rheumatology Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Liora HarelPediatric Rheumatology Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Yoel LevinskyPediatric Rheumatology Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Rotem TalPediatric Rheumatology Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Adi Miller-BarmakPediatric Rheumatology Service, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Bronya SluvisDepartment of Pediatrics B, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Yonatan Butbul AvielThe Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. yonatanbutbul@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2151-7327

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo characterize the clinical presentation of PFAPA and the response to treatment in an ethnic subgroup- Druze and analyze the differences compared to other ethnic groups. STUDY

designRetrospective data were collected from medical records of patients with PFAPA attending 2 pediatric tertiary medical centers in Israel between March 2014-December 2022. Patients with concomitant familial Mediterranean fever were excluded. Ethnicity was categorized as Mediterranean, non-Mediterranean, multiethnic and Druze.

resultsOf 386 patients with PFAPA, 52 (13.5%) were with a corresponding FMF diagnosis (PFAPA/FMF) information was lacking regarding FMF status in 9 (2.3%) patients and 8 (2.1%) patients were excluded because of poor follow-up. The study included 317 PFAPA patients, 178 (56.2%) of which were of Mediterranean descent (Sephardic Jews or Israeli Arabs), 87 (27.4%) were multiethnic, 19 (6%) were of non-Mediterranean descent (all Ashkenazi Jews), and 33 (10.4%) were of Druze ethnicity. No noteworthy differences in age of onset or age of diagnosis were found among ethnic groups. Clinical presentation analysis revealed statistical significance (P = 0.025) of the prevalence of abdominal pain across ethnic groups. No significance association was found regarding other symptoms including pharyngitis, adenitis, aphthous, myalgia, arthralgia, rash, and headache. Additionally, no significant association was observed between the response to treatment and ethnic group. Genetic testing was performed in 127 (40%) patients, no significant association was shown between number of mutations and ethnic origin.

conclusionThe clinical presentation of PFAPA in patients of Druze ethnicity is not significantly different from other ethnic groups in Israel. This finding fails to support the hypothesis that PFAPA is on the Behҫet spectrum.

Indexed as

FeverLymphadenitisPharyngitisStomatitis, AphthousAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolColchicineFamilial Mediterranean FeverFemaleHumansIsraelMaleRetrospective StudiesColchicineAutoinflammatory diseaseBehçet spectrumColchicineEthnic variationMEFV genePeriodic feverPFAPA syndrome

Identifiers

PMID42026657
PMCPMC13107607

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