Circadian elevation of IL-6 levels in Muckle-Wells syndrome: a disorder of the neuro-immune axis?

Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS) is a rare autosomal dominant hereditary disorder characterized by chronic recurrent urticaria, arthralgia, sensorineural deafness, and in some cases nephropathy due to amyloidosis (AA type). We report a 21-year-old woman and her father, both suffering from this syndrome, in whom elevated serum levels of IL-6 could be documented during the flares of urticaria, and discuss the relevance of this finding for MWS.