The Autoinflammatory Diseases Clinic (AIDC) at Boston Children’s Hospital specializes in the diagnosis and management of patients with diseases of autoinflammation and immune dysregulation. The clinic, established in 2014, is one of the few centers in the country that specializes in the care of patients with these complex diseases.
Inflammation is a natural response of the body to infection or trauma. In those with autoinflammatory diseases the immune system is dysregulated, and it triggers periodic or chronic bursts of inflammation, leading to fevers and other symptoms. Many of these diseases are characterized by recurrent fevers, rashes, and pain in joints, muscles, the chest, and the abdomen. There is evidence of systemic inflammation on blood tests, and infectious work up is negative. In some autoinflammatory diseases, broader dysregulated immune response is present; in that case signs and symptoms of autoimmunity, allergy, and/or immunodeficiency can be seen in one condition at the same time.
Most autoinflammatory diseases are genetic (inherited), start in childhood, and persist throughout adult life. Some diseases 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 they can present at any time during childhood or adulthood.
The key principles of the Autoinflammatory Diseases Clinic (AIDC) are:
- Collaboration: Physicians at the AIDC work closely with other specialists such as gastroenterologists, immunologists, otolaryngologists, infectious disease specialists, pulmonologists, hematologists, neurologists, geneticists, dermatologists, and nephrologists to provide the needed comprehensive care to patients with autoinflammatory diseases.
- Evidenced-based medicine: Diseases of autoinflammation and immune dysregulation are rare, and new subtypes are described every year. We seek to stay current with the scientific literature and approach treatment options with an appreciation for the underlying cause of a disease, to the extent that it is known.
- Individualized care: Because autoinflammatory and immune dysregulation diseases are rare, there may or may not be a standardized treatment for a condition; we therefore consider patients on an individual basis and adjust care based on patient and family preferences and response to treatment. We are building a registry of our clinic patients for systematic, longitudinal follow-up, which will help us to better understand and monitor these rare conditions.
AIDC runs one half-day per month. Fatma Dedeoglu, MD, and Jonathan Hausmann, MD, staff the clinic every month. In addition, rheumatology fellows and residents with an interest in autoinflammatory diseases are welcomed to participate in seeing patients.
