Pre- and postoperative quality of life and emotional/behavioural problems in children with PFAPA

Risk of immediate postoperative fever in PFAPA patients undergoing tonsillectomy

OBJECTIVE

Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome is the most common periodic fever syndrome in children. Tonsillectomy is considered a potential treatment option. A common concept is that patients with PFAPA are more likely to have postoperative fever, which might be hard to distinguish from other etiologies such as malignant hyperthermia or drug adverse effects. For this reason, many institutions require these patients to be cared for at their main center and not at satellite centers. Our objective was to evaluate the rate of immediate postoperative fever in PFAPA patients undergoing tonsillectomy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Following IRB approval (STUDY20060029), a retrospective chart review of all PFAPA patients who underwent tonsillectomy at a tertiary children's hospital between January 1st, 2013, and September 30th, 2022. The PHIS database was queried from January 1st, 2013, to June 30th, 2022, for pediatric tonsillectomy and PFAPA.

RESULTS

Sixty-one patients underwent tonsillectomy for PFAPA during the study period at our institution. Only one (1.6 %) had immediate postoperative fever. Fever episode resolution was seen in 90.25 % of patients, 41/41 (100 %) of the patients reported fever episodes pre-op, compared with 4/41 (9.75 %) post-op (McNemar's Chi-squared test, Chi2 = 37.0, p < 0.001). 481,118 pediatric tonsillectomies were recorded in the PHIS database during this period, 1197 (0.25 %) were also diagnosed with PFAPA. None of the PFAPA patients had an immediate post-operative fever.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest there is no increased risk of immediate postoperative fever in PFAPA patients undergoing tonsillectomy.

Efficacy of partial tonsillectomy in periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis syndrome: a STROBE retrospective observational study

INTRODUCTION

PFAPA (Periodic Fever, Aphthous stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis) or Marshall syndrome is the most frequent cause of recurrent auto-inflammatory fever in children. Frequent episodes impair the child's quality of life and family life. Total tonsillectomy demonstrated efficacy in improving symptoms, but few studies assessed partial tonsillectomy in this indication. The aim of the present study was to assess postoperative course after partial tonsillectomy for PFAPA syndrome, with comparison to total tonsillectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study adhered to STROBE guidelines. It included children with PFAPA syndrome on EUROFEVER criteria, treated by partial or total tonsillectomy between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2022 in our university hospital center. For comparisons, the significance threshold was set at P<0.005.

RESULTS

Thirty-six children were included: 16 with partial and 20 with total tonsillectomy. With partial tonsillectomy, the number of episodes decreased by 10 per year (range, 5-21) (P<0.005) over 6 years' follow-up. The decrease was 50% with partial tonsillectomy and 93% with total tonsillectomy (P=0.056). The decrease in number was statistically suggestive (P=0.028). There were no complications with partial tonsillectomy and 2 patients with complications (10%) with total tonsillectomy. Two of the 16 patients with partial tonsillectomy (12.5%) required totalization, achieving remission in both cases.

CONCLUSION

Partial tonsillectomy significantly reduced the frequency, duration and intensity of postoperative episodes in PFAPA syndrome. It may be less effective than total tonsillectomy, but has a lower risk of complications awaiting remission in adolescence.

Tonsillotomy for Periodic Fever Syndrome: A Randomized and Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

Tonsillectomy is an effective treatment for periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome. Tonsillotomy has a milder operative risk profile and postoperative morbidity in children than tonsillectomy. We aimed to compare the efficacy of tonsillotomy to observation-only in children with PFAPA syndrome at a 3-month follow-up.

METHODS

This was a randomized multicenter trial with sequential design. Participants were randomized into a tonsillotomy group and a control group that was only observed. The trial started in 1/2017 and was accomplished in 12/2021 with 16 patients (10 boys, six girls, the mean age 4.2 years). The symptoms were monitored with daily symptom diaries.

RESULTS

After the 3-month follow-up, 7/8 patients (87.5%) in the tonsillotomy group and 2/8 (25%) patients in the control group were free from PFAPA symptoms (95% CI 13% to 87%; p = 0.0021). The mean number of days with fever was 2.6 (SD 3.7) in the tonsillotomy group and 8.0 (SD 6.5) days in the control group (n = 8) (p = 0.06). Mean number of fever days compatible with PFAPA syndrome was 0.8 (SD 1.4) in the tonsillotomy group and 6.5 (SD 6.0) in the control group (95%CI -10% to -1%; p = 0.007). Rescue tonsillectomy was needed for all patients in the control group and none of the patients in the tonsillotomy group.

CONCLUSIONS

Tonsillotomy might be an effective treatment option for children with PFAPA syndrome. Further studies are needed to clarify the long-term efficacy of tonsillotomy for treating PFAPA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

2 Laryngoscope, 134:968-972, 2024.

Tonsillectomy reduces the family impact of periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome and improves health-related quality of life in affected children

BACKGROUND

Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome is an autoinflammatory disorder that primarily affects young children, and typically gives rise to fever episodes that recur monthly for several years. This study investigated the impact of PFAPA syndrome on the families of affected children, the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children with the syndrome, and how these factors were influenced by tonsillectomy.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included 24 children with typical PFAPA syndrome that were referred for tonsillectomy, of whom 20 underwent the procedure. The control group consisted of randomly selected children from the general population. Family impact and HRQOL were measured using the standardized, validated questionnaires Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) Family Impact Module (FIM) and PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales (GCS). Parents to children with PFAPA completed the questionnaires before and 6 months after their child underwent tonsillectomy, and HRQOL was measured both between and during PFAPA episodes. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare data before and after tonsillectomy in the patient group, while the Mann-Whitney test was used for comparison of the patient and control groups.

RESULTS

Before tonsillectomy, children with PFAPA had significantly lower scores than the control group on the PedsQL™ FIM and the PedsQL™ 4.0 GCS during fever episodes. After tonsillectomy, all patients improved with diminished febrile episodes, which resulted in significantly higher scores regarding both family impact and HRQOL at the time of follow-up. HRQOL of in children with PFAPA improved after tonsillectomy even when compared to afebrile intervals before the procedure. The differences between PFAPA patients and controls were eliminated after tonsillectomy.

CONCLUSION

PFAPA syndrome has a profound negative impact on the families of affected children. Tonsillectomy that leads to cessation or reduction of fever episodes eases the impact of the disease on the family. HRQOL in children with PFAPA is low during febrile episodes and similar to healthy controls in between episodes. The improvement of HRQOL in patients with PFAPA after tonsillectomy compared to the afebrile intervals before tonsillectomy highlights that the constantly recurring fevers may affect the children's well-being even between fever episodes.

Quality of life in children undergoing tonsillectomy: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

The quality of life in children undergoing tonsillectomy remains unclear. We aimed to analyze the current status and influencing factors of quality of life in children undergoing tonsillectomy, to provide useful insights to clinical postoperative care for children.

METHODS

Children who underwent tonsillectomy in our hospital from June 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022 were selected. The characteristics of children were collected and Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 (PedsQL™ 4.0) was used for evaluating the quality of life in children. Pearson correlation, univariate and logistic regression analyses were condcuted to evaluate the influencing factors of quality of life in children undergoing tonsillectomy.

RESULTS

A total of 118 children undergoing tonsillectomy were included. The total score of PedsQL™ 4.0 in children undergoing tonsillectomy was (70.28 ± 13.15). Pearson correlation analyses indicated that age(r = 0.586), courses of tonsillitis(r = 0.595), parental education level(r = 0.612) and monthly family income(r = 0.608) were associated with the PedsQL™ 4.0 total score in children undergoing tonsillectomy (all P < 0.05). Logistic regression analyses indicated that age ≤ 5y (OR = 2.009,95%CI: 1.826 ~ 2.401), courses of tonsillitis ≥ 3years (OR = 2.167,95%CI: 1.688 ~ 2.547), high school of parental education level (OR = 1.807,95%CI: 1.224 ~ 2.181) and monthly family income ≤ 5000 RMB(OR = 2.624,95%CI:2.092 ~ 3.077) were the independent influencing factors of quality of life in children with undergoing tonsillectomy (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The quality of life of children after tonsillectomy is not high, and the quality of life of children is affected by many factors. Medical staff should take early targeted nursing countermeasures tageted on those influencing factors to improve the quality of life of children.

Periodic Fever in Children: Etiology and Diagnostic Challenges

Periodic fever in children is an autoinflammatory illness with an unknown cause. Symptoms include frequent episodes of fever that are followed by an increase in inflammatory markers. A genetic background for periodic fever of unknown origin has been hypothesized, based on its family clustering and parallels to other autoinflammatory illnesses such as familial Mediterranean fever. Genome analysis has been used in studies to look for related gene variations in periodic fever of unknown origin in the pediatric population. 

Children with periodic fevers might be a diagnostic challenge. After ruling out the most prevalent causes, a wide variety of other possibilities are investigated. Infectious and noninfectious causes of periodic fever in children are discussed in this article.

Inflammasomes (intracellular proteins that activate interleukin (IL)-1b and IL-18) and genetic/hereditary variations are thought to be implicated in the pathogenesis of periodic fever. Evaluation and ruling out possible infective or noninfective causes is vital in the diagnosis of periodic fever in children. Investigations demonstrate that there isn't a single gene linked to it, suggesting that it may have a multifactorial or polygenic origin, with an environmental trigger causing inflammasome activation and fever flares. Treatment is usually symptomatic, with drugs such as colchicine and cimetidine having shown promising results in trials.

We explored the literature on periodic fever in children for its epidemiology, pathophysiology, the role of various genes and how they influence the disease and associated complications, and its various treatment modalities.