Glossary

Unfamiliar Key Words

Allergy: a failure of the immune system, causing a reaction to something usually harmless in the environment. Allergies may involve sneezing or skin rash.

Autoinflammatory: inflammation in the body that occurs on its own for no reason.

Chronic disease: a condition with constant or frequent symptoms that keep coming back or slowly become worse.

Diagnosis: a doctor's confirmation that you have an illness.

Disease: a condition of a body part, organ, or system in the body that occurs due to genetics, infection, or the environment, and that typically presents with a specific group of symptoms.

FCAS: one autoinflammatory condition in a group of rare diseases called CAPS (Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndrome). It may also be called Familial Cold Autoinflammatory Syndrome.

Genes: the basic building blocks of the body. Genes hold the information to build and maintain the body. This information passes on traits to children.

Genetic: passed on through the genes, meaning you can get it from a family member.

IL-1β: an inflammatory protein that the immune system produces in order to fight disease. Too much production of IL-1β is harmful to the body. It may also be called interleukin-1 beta.

Immune system: the body's natural defense system that protects against "foreign" invaders.

Inflammation: the body's way of protecting itself against infection or injury. When someone is suffering from a condition called CAPS (Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndrome), inflammation occurs without infection or injury.

Inflammatory disease: an illness that is caused by inflammation. CAPS (Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndrome) is a specific type of inflammatory disease called an autoinflammatory disease.

Muckle-Wells Syndrome: one autoinflammatory condition in a group of rare diseases called CAPS (Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndrome). It may also be called MWS.

Rare disease: an uncommon illness that affects very few people in the world.

Symptoms: a description of the way you are feeling due to a specific illness.

Syndrome: a group of symptoms that, when described together, may indicate a specific illness.