An international registry on autoinflammatory diseases: the Eurofever experience.

OBJECTIVE: To report on the demographic data from the first 18 months of enrollment to an international registry on autoinflammatory diseases in the context of the Eurofever project. METHODS: A web-based registry collecting baseline and clinical information on autoinflammatory diseases and related conditions is available in the member area of the PRINTO web-site. Anonymised data were collected with standardised forms. RESULTS: 1880 (M:F=916:964) individuals from 67 centers in 31 countries have been entered in the Eurofever registry. Most of the patients (1388; 74%), reside in western Europe, 294 (16%) in the eastern and southern Mediterranean region (Turkey, Israel, North Africa), 106 (6%) in eastern Europe, 54 in Asia, 27 in South America and 11 in Australia. In total 1049 patients with a clinical diagnosis of a monogenic autoinflammatory diseases have been enrolled; genetic analysis was performed in 993 patients (95%): 703 patients have genetically confirmed disease and 197 patients are heterozygous carriers of mutations in genes that are mutated in patients with recessively inherited autoinflammatory diseases. The median diagnosis delay was 7.3 years (range 0.3-76), with a clear reduction in patients born after the identification of the first gene associated with autoinflammatory diseases in 1997. CONCLUSIONS: A shared online registry for patients with autoinflammatory diseases is available and enrollment is ongoing. Currently, there are data available for analysis on clinical presentation, disease course, and response to treatment, and to perform large scale comparative studies between different conditions.

Primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy with digital clubbing and palmoplantar hyperhidrosis caused by 15-PGHD/HPGD loss-of-function mutations.

Digital clubbing is the most prominent feature in primary (PHO) and secondary (pulmonary) hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HO). Homozygous and compound heterozygous germline mutations in the 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD) gene encoding the major prostaglandin PGE2 catabolizing enzyme have been recently described in familial PHO cases. Elevated prostaglandin levels in affected individuals with cytokine-mediated tissue remodelling and vascular stimulation may underlie PHO and associated features as hyperhidrosis, acroosteolysis, pachyderma, periostosis and arthritis. We present clinical and biochemical data of three unrelated PHO families with HPGD mutations. The truncating mutation c.175_176del was found in two of our families and in one of the recently described pedigrees, all of European origin. We present evidence that c.175_176del is a recurrent mutation rather than an ancient founder allele. Two novel heterozygous HPGD mutations, the nonsense mutation c.118G>T (p.Glu40X) and the missense mutation c.563C>T (p.Thr188Ile), could be identified in a third family. We postulate that all HPGD mutations constitute loss-of-function alleles due to protein truncation or missense changes that affect hydrogen bonds lining the 15-PGDH enzyme reaction cavity. Elevated prostaglandin levels may give rise to use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; however, therapeutic strategies have not been reported to date. Naproxen treatment in one of our mutation-positive patients resulted in alleviation of pain caused by periostosis and arthritis as well as reduction in substantially elevated prostaglandin levels, while no significant effects on digital clubbing, hyperhidrosis and pachyderma were observed. Further experience with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in PHO is awaited.

Systemic sclerosis in childhood: clinical and immunologic features of 153 patients in an international database.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical and immunologic features of systemic sclerosis (SSc) in a large group of children and describe the clinical evolution of the disease and compare it with the adult form. METHODS: Data on 153 patients with juvenile SSc collected from 55 pediatric rheumatology centers in Europe, Asia, and South and North America were analyzed. Demographic, clinical, and immunologic characteristics of children with juvenile SSc at the onset, at diagnosis, and during the disease course were evaluated. RESULTS: Raynaud's phenomenon was the most frequent symptom, followed by skin induration in approximately 75% of patients. Musculoskeletal symptoms were present in one-third of patients, and the most frequently involved internal organs were respiratory and gastrointestinal, while involvement of renal, cerebral, and cardiovascular systems was extremely rare. Antinuclear antibodies were present in the sera of 81% of patients. Anti-topoisomerase I (Scl-70) and anticentromere antibodies were found to be positive in 34% and 7.1% of patients, respectively. Involvement of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems was more frequent and occurred earlier in patients who died than in those who survived. Compared with the adult form, juvenile SSc appears to be less severe, with the involvement of fewer internal organs, particularly at the time of diagnosis, and has a less characterized immunologic profile. CONCLUSION: This study provides information on the largest collection of patients with juvenile SSc ever reported. Juvenile SSc appears to be less severe than in adults because children have less internal organ involvement, a less specific autoantibody profile, and a better long-term outcome.