National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Caffey disease

Información en español


Other Names:
Infantile cortical hyperostosis
Categories:
Caffey disease is a bone disorder that most often occurs in babies. It is characterized by the excessive formation of new bone (hyperostosis) in the jaw, shoulder blades, collarbones, and shafts of long bones in the arms and legs. Affected bones may double or triple in width. In some cases, two bones that are next to each other may become fused. Caffey disease is caused by a mutation in the COL1A1 gene. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, but not all people who inherit the mutation develop signs and symptoms. This is due to incomplete penetrance.[1] 
Last updated: 4/15/2014
Caffey disease is characterized by excessive new bone formation (hyperostosis). The bone abnormalities mainly affect the jawbone, shoulder blades, collarbones, and the shafts of long bones in the arms and legs. Affected bones may double or triple in width. In some cases, two bones in the forearms or lower legs become fused together. Babies with this condition may also develop swelling of joints and soft tissues with pain and redness in the affected areas. They may also be feverish and irritable.[1] 

The signs and symptoms of Caffey disease are usually apparent by the time an infant is 5 months old. In rare cases, skeletal abnormalities can be detected by ultrasound during the late stages of pregnancy. For unknown reasons, the swelling and pain associated with Caffey disease tend to go away within a few months. The excess bone also disappears as it is reabsorbed by the body through a normal process called bone remodeling. If two bones have been fused, they may remain that way, which can lead to complications such as scoliosis and breathing problems.[1]

Most people with Caffey syndrome have no further problems related to the disorder after early childhood. Occasionally, another episode of hyperostosis occurs years later. In addition, some adults who had Caffey disease have other abnormalities of the bones and connective tissues, including loose joints, stretchy skin or hernias.[1]  
Last updated: 4/15/2014

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

Showing of 16 |
Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Cellulitis
Bacterial infection of skin
Skin infection
[ more ] 		0100658
Cortical irregularity 0005731
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Behavioral abnormality
Behavioral changes
Behavioral disorders
Behavioral disturbances
Behavioral problems
Behavioral/psychiatric abnormalities
Behavioural/Psychiatric abnormality
Psychiatric disorders
Psychiatric disturbances
[ more ] 		0000708
Fever 0001945
Hyperesthesia 0100963
Periosteal thickening of long tubular bones 0006465
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Calvarial hyperostosis
Overgrowth of skullcap
0004490
Cortical thickening of long bone diaphyses 0005791
Facial asymmetry
Asymmetry of face
Crooked face
Unsymmetrical face
[ more ] 		0000324
Feeding difficulties in infancy 0008872
Increased circulating antibody level 0010702
Proptosis
Bulging eye
Eyeballs bulging out
Prominent eyes
Prominent globes
Protruding eyes
[ more ] 		0000520
Respiratory insufficiency
Respiratory impairment
0002093
Scoliosis 0002650
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal dominant inheritance 0000006
Tibial bowing
Bowed shankbone
Bowed shinbone
[ more ] 		0002982
Showing of 16 |
Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources

Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
Differential diagnosis includes osteogenesis imperfecta, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, arthrochalasia type, mucopolysaccharidosis type 2 and Hurler syndrome (see these terms), non-accidental childhood injury, hypervitaminosis A, prostaglandin E1 exposure, bone malignancies, osteomyelitis and parotitis.
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference contains information on Caffey disease. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

In-Depth Information

  • GeneReviews provides current, expert-authored, peer-reviewed, full-text articles describing the application of genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients with specific inherited conditions.
  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Caffey disease. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.

  1. Caffey disease. Genetics Home Reference (GHR). April 2013; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/caffey-disease. Accessed 4/15/2014.