Autoinflammatory Disease Center

Treatment for Autoinflammatory Diseases 

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The Autoinflammatory Disease Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center helps to diagnose and treat adults with known or suspected autoinflammatory diseases. The clinic is one of the few centers in the country that specializes in the care of patients with these complex illnesses.

Autoinflammatory diseases, also called periodic fever syndromes, are members of a new category of illnesses characterized by recurrent fevers and evidence of systemic inflammation on blood tests. With the fever episodes, patients may also develop rashes, and pain in their joints, muscles, abdomen or chest, as well as manifestations of inflammation in various organs. Patients usually have stereotypical symptoms during each fever flare. These features often mimic infections or other diseases, even when none is present.

Most autoinflammatory diseases are genetic (inherited), start in childhood, and persist throughout adult life. The same disease can be seen in several members of a family. Other autoinflammatory diseases appear to be acquired, perhaps due to the interplay of genetic and environmental factors, and can present at any time during adulthood.

The Autoinflammatory Disease Center is led by Dr. Arturo Diaz and Dr. Jonathan Hausmann, who work with other specialists to provide comprehensive care to patients with autoinflammatory diseases.

The clinic specializes in diagnosing and treating the following disorders:

• DADA2 (Deficiency of ADA2)
• Systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA)
• Recurrent fevers of unknown cause
• Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD)
• Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)
• TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS)
• Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD), also known as Hyper-IgD syndrome, (HIDS)
• Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS):
  • Familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS), also known as familial cold uticaria
  • Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS)
  • Neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID), also known as CINCA
• Familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome 2 (FCAS2)
• Deficiency of the interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (DIRA)
• Deficiency of the interleukin-36-receptor antagonist (DITRA)
• Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis (PFAPA)
• Blau syndrome
• Behcet’s disease
• Pyogenic sterile arthritis, Pyoderma gangrenosum, Acne (PAPA)
• Synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis syndrome (SAPHO)
• Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS)