Our son was diagnosed with PFAPA a few months after starting Azathioprine for his Crohn's Disease (he's had a diagnosis for 7 yrs now), and I was wondering if anyone else had a kid with this syndrome in conjunction with IBD., or if it could be related to the Aza, which seems to be working well to control his CD flares.. he gets really high fevers for about a week every month, like clockwork, along with mouth ulcers and really swollen glands. We've been around to a bunch of different doctors, plus a few hospital stays before they settled on PFAPA and Cimentidine to control the PFAPA... any similar stories?
High fevers and Azathioprine?
- Thread starter shrsy
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DustyKat
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Hey shsry,
I haven't had any experience with PFAPA being a side effect of Imuran and I don't recall reading of anyone else that has. That's not to say it isn't a possibility though!
I assume they are working off the fact that his Crohn's is clinically under control or in remission?
I only say that because the symptoms of PFAPA could be those of Crohn's flaring too.
Good luck hun. Sorry I can't be of more help to you.
Dusty. xxx
I haven't had any experience with PFAPA being a side effect of Imuran and I don't recall reading of anyone else that has. That's not to say it isn't a possibility though!
I assume they are working off the fact that his Crohn's is clinically under control or in remission?
I only say that because the symptoms of PFAPA could be those of Crohn's flaring too.
Good luck hun. Sorry I can't be of more help to you.
Dusty. xxx
None of the doctors we've seen think his PFAPA (it stands for Periodic Fever, Adenitis, and APhthous Stomatitis) is a Crohn's flare, I suppose based on the nature of the symptoms and how regularly he gets them. I just think it's coincidental that it started occurring after he began the Azathioprine. The infectious disease specialist we saw thought that maybe because it's an immunosuppressant, the Aza has unmasked this syndrome that he's always had, just never had symptoms....
kiny
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Fevers is a very common reaction of the immune system, once inflammation increases it increases the temperature of the body, it's a direct consequence of the inflammation. It's also the reason many people with crohn have night sweats, the night sweats are the consequence of the initial fever, the body is trying to remove the excess temperature from the fever so the body starts sweating.
It's seen in many disease. I'm sure you've seen the documentaries of Africa were the sick kids are laying in their bed with mouth ulcers, sweating with very high fevers. It's their immune system, same thing is happening in crohn.
"What is the physiology that causes night sweats, one of the classic symptoms of tuberculosis?
Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is one of the peptide signalling molecules implicated intriggering night sweats. Monocytes (a type of white blood cell) are a significant source of TNF-α. Monocytes leave the blood stream and become migratory macrophages, homing in on thetuberculosis-causing mycobacteria. Although the macrophages may be unable to eradicate the bacteria completely, in an immunocompetent person the macrophages and other cells are able tosurround and contain the clusters of bacteria and prevent their further spread through the tissues.The excess TNF-α released during this immune response appears to be linked with the fevers,weakness, night sweats, necrosis, and progressive weight loss that are characteristic of tuberculosis (Tramontana et al, 1995)"
It's seen in many disease. I'm sure you've seen the documentaries of Africa were the sick kids are laying in their bed with mouth ulcers, sweating with very high fevers. It's their immune system, same thing is happening in crohn.
"What is the physiology that causes night sweats, one of the classic symptoms of tuberculosis?
Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is one of the peptide signalling molecules implicated intriggering night sweats. Monocytes (a type of white blood cell) are a significant source of TNF-α. Monocytes leave the blood stream and become migratory macrophages, homing in on thetuberculosis-causing mycobacteria. Although the macrophages may be unable to eradicate the bacteria completely, in an immunocompetent person the macrophages and other cells are able tosurround and contain the clusters of bacteria and prevent their further spread through the tissues.The excess TNF-α released during this immune response appears to be linked with the fevers,weakness, night sweats, necrosis, and progressive weight loss that are characteristic of tuberculosis (Tramontana et al, 1995)"
