Still's disease: symptoms, course and treatmentAdult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a rare autoinflammatory disease in adults, which is described in more detail below.
Incidence and symptoms of Still's disease
The rare immune disease was first described in 1971. It is estimated at only about one affected person in every 100.000 people, as the number of unreported cases is relatively high. The triggers are as yet unclear.
– Typically, adults develop the disease between the ages of 15. and 40. The onset of AOSD is between the age of 15 and 20 years, with two so-called age peaks between the age of 15 and 30 years. and 25. and between the 36. and 46. Year of life. – The number of people over 50 years of age is less than ten percent. – Frequent episodes of fever over 39 degrees in the evening. – Salmon-colored skin rashes on the trunk, upper arms and thighs are also common. – In one third of those affected, the rash is associated with itching. – Most patients – about 70 to 90 percent – suffer from joint pain. – At the beginning of the disease, as many patients suffer from persistent pharyngitis. – Other symptoms may include muscle pain, enlarged lymph nodes, abdominal pain and weight loss. In addition, inflammation of the brain, lungs, heart and eyes may occur.
Course and therapy of the autoinflammatory disease Morbus Still
The disease often occurs in episodes and is easily treatable. Diseases such as lupus erythematosus, sepsis or leukemia should be ruled out in advance.
– Three courses of the disease are amed: Monocyclic, Polycyclic and Chronic. – Depending on the course of the disease, antirheumatic drugs are used initially. If this is not helpful, cortisone is administered in various doses. – In severe cases with the risk of organ damage, MTX is administered in addition to cortisone to suppress the immune system. – Complications can include pulmonary hypertension, sepsis and organ failure, coagulation disorders, hemorrhage and neurological deficits, such as thrombotic thrombocytic purpura or diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.
Body odor can be a sign of serious illness
Other diseases causing joint pain are osteoarthritis and arthritis. We will explain the differences between the two diseases in another practical tip.