A 4-Year-Old Girl with Fever Spikes and Mouth Blisters, and it Happens Every Few Weeks

The syndrome of fever episodes and painful mouth aphthae is likely one of the most common autoinflammatory syndromes of childhood. The rapid diagnosis of a PFAPA syndrome (periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenopathy) is important for reassuring the parents of the mostly very young children. Specific therapy with low-dose steroids to interrupt the fever episodes can quickly bring relief, and in selected cases, tonsillectomy also represents a therapeutic option.