A Case of PFAPA Syndrome Mimicking Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

PFAPA syndrome is characterized by periodic fevers associated with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis and is unusual in infants and children. We report on a case of PFAPA syndrome mimicking cyclic vomiting syndrome in a 42-month-old girl. She had experienced multiple episodes of cyclic vomiting with abdominal pain from age 20 to 30 months. When she was 30 months old, periodic fever with pharyngitis was combined with cyclic vomiting, and when 40 months old, aphthous stomatitis and cervical adenitis were added. These periodic symptoms and signs were not treated with prokinetics or antibiotics. Symptom duration of an episode was 3 days. After cimetidine therapy (150 mg three times daily for 6 months), her febrile and cyclic vomiting episodes ceased. At the time of writing she had not received therapy for 10 months and has remained well without periodic attack.