ECD-Score: a Study on Erdheim-Chester Disease

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare form of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis that primarily affects adults but may also occur in pediatric patients. It is characterized by the accumulation of foamy histiocytes with a distinctive immunophenotype in multiple anatomical sites, most commonly the long bones, retroperitoneal and perirenal tissues, the heart, the central nervous system, and the pituitary gland. The disease shows marked clinical heterogeneity, ranging from localized and asymptomatic forms to severe manifestations with multiorgan involvement. From a pathogenetic perspective, ECD is mainly driven by gain-of-function mutations affecting the MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways, particularly the BRAFV600E mutation, leading to aberrant activation of the MAPK and mTOR signaling pathways. The release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines plays a key role in systemic inflammation and