Research abstract:

In 1964, Miyoshi reported a series of patients with diverse symptoms after receiving treatment with silicone or paraffin fillers. Miyoshi named this condition ‘human adjuvant disease’. Since then, the literature has been flooded with case reports and case series of granulomatous and systemic autoimmune disorders related to vaccines, infection or other adjuvants such as silicone and other biomaterials.

A new term – autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants – has recently been coined for a process that includes several clinical features previously described by Miyoshi plus other clinical and laboratory parameters related to exposure to diverse external stimuli.

Disorders such as siliconosis, Gulf War syndrome, macrophagic myofasciitis syndrome, sick building syndrome and post-vaccination syndrome have been included in autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants. Disorders such as Spanish toxic oil syndrome and Ardystil syndrome could also be included.

Furthermore, biomaterials other than silicone should also be considered as triggering factors for these adjuvant-related syndromes. New diagnostic criteria in this field have been proposed. Nevertheless, many of these criteria are too subjective, leading to some patients being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or other ‘central sensitization syndromes’.

Diagnostic criteria based only on objective clinical and laboratory data to be further discussed and validated are proposed herein.

Human adjuvant-related syndrome or autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants. Where have we come from? Where are we going? A proposal for new diagnostic criteria, by J Alijotas-Reig in Lupus. 2015 Mar 25.  [Epub ahead of print]