Services & Specialties
Autoinflammatory Disease

Autoinflammatory Disease Center

Children with periodic fever and autoinflammatory syndromes can now receive specialized care through the Autoinflammatory Disease Center at Cincinnati Children's. Our multidisciplinary team offers  expert guidance in the diagnosis and management of these conditions, including state-of-the-art genetic and immune testing.

Collaborative Care, Guided by Science

The center is co-directed by Alexei Grom, MD, and Grant Schulert, MD, PhD, from the Division of Rheumatology. Both Dr. Grom and Dr. Schulert have authored numerous publications on childhood autoinflammatory diseases, and have active translational research programs aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

We also partner with the Clinical Immunology Laboratory and the Genetics and Genomics Diagnostic Laboratory. These teams, led by Rebecca Marsh, MD, provide assistance with immunologic evaluation, as well as genetic testing and counseling for our patients and their families.

Systemic autoinflammatory diseases are a group of disorders characterized by seemingly unprovoked inflammation. These diseases are notable for their relative lack of evidence of autoimmune reactivity such as high-titer autoantibodies. Our team of experts currently offers care for patients with the following conditions:

  • Complications of systemic juvenile arthritis
    • Macrophage activation syndrome
    • Lung disease 
  • Hereditary periodic fever syndromes
  • Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF)
  • Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D with periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) / mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD)
  • TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS)
  • Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS)
  • Blau Syndrome
  • Syndrome of periodic fever with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenopathy (PFAPA)
  • Undiagnosed fever, rash, joint pain or swelling

Many of the patients with auto-inflammatory diseases we treat present the following symptoms:

  • Recurrent episodes of inflammation where an infection can’t be found
  • Periods of high, unexplained fevers
  • Involvement of many systems of the body (joints, skin, eyes, gastrointestinal trach)
  • Unusual triggers such as temperature, stress, exercise, menstruation

The first signs of lung disease in systemic JIA can include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Increases respiratory rate at rest
  • Clubbing

Participate in a Clinical Trial

Learn more about our clinical trials.
Learn more about a study for children and teens with IL-18 driven monogenic autoinflammatory conditions.