Periodic Diseases in Children

Abstract

Except for sharing a repetitive pattern and some of the same symptoms, the periodic diseases for the most part remain an enigma. Symptoms often occur without warning and are baffling to diagnose and difficult to manage. A number of these diseases are inherited, and even the periodic syndrome of vomiting, gastric pain, fever, headache, and limb pain may be “familial,” reflecting a family pattern of reaction to stress.