Py. Chouc et al., DOES MONOCYCLIC STILLS-DISEASE EXIST - CO NSIDERATIONS WITH REFERENCETO 3 CASES, La Semaine des hopitaux de Paris, 71(25-26), 1995, pp. 777-781
Adult-onset Still's disease is characterized by a fairly uniform patte
rn of clinical manifestations and laboratory test abnormalities. Howev
er, the diagnosis can be difficult since no signs are specific, a situ
ation that has prompted the development of diagnostic criteria. In add
ition, the etiopathogenesis of the disease is unknown and the course v
aries widely, resulting in nosologic uncertainties. Acute forms with a
single flare followed by a full recovery, called monocyclic forms, ra
ise the issue of whether adult-onset Still's disease may be related to
infectious organisms; several pathogens have been incriminated in sim
ilar clinical patterns. Inclusion of an outcome criterion in the defin
ition of adult-onset Still's disease may avoid overdiagnosis of the co
ndition by excluding potentially infection-related conditions. This wo
uld help increase the homogeneity of the disease.