Prevalence of polymorphisms of the genes responsible for auto-inflammatory diseases among 236 patients with recurrent fever in a rheumatology institute in Japan

Introduction Auto-inflammatory syndromes are defined as conditions caused by an exaggerated innate immune system response, resulting in episodes of spontaneous inflammation affecting multiple organs. The prototypical auto-inflammatory disorders are associated with periodic febrile episodes. Auto-inflammatory syndromes now include polygenic diseases, such as Behcet’s syndrome and Still’s disease; however, the best characterized auto-inflammatory diseases are relatively rare, but florid conditions arising from mutations in single genes. The prevalence of each auto-inflammatory disease varies depending on ethnic background.