Familial Mediterranean Fever

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a disease commonly seen in Turks, Arabs, Jews and Armenians. Symptoms of FMF include recurrent fever, abdominal pain, chest pain and joint pain attacks, which usually last for 24-48 hours. Patients are like normal people at times other than the time of attacks.


 

Properties of the Disease

Familial transition: In order for the disease to occur, parents should be carriers or patients.
It is frequently seen in and around the Mediterranean region. It is also seen in the Black Sea region. 
Causing fever attacks: Fever is accompanied by abdominal pain, joint pain or chest pain. Abdominal pain is sometimes confused with acute appendicitis. Even some of these patients are operated on with the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, however, their abdominal pain does not resolve.


Amyloidosis is a feared adverse problem in FMF. A protein containing fibrils accumulates in extracellular tissue. However, FMF may manifest itself in many different forms in some patients. The gene causing the disease was discovered in 1997. Nowadays, the only known treatment of FMF is a medication called colchicine, which decreases frequency and severity of attacks such as fever, abdominal pain.  It is possible to prevent amyloidosis by colchicine treatment. Patients having recurrent attacks of fever and abdominal pain should be investigated for FMF, and those diagnosed with FMF should be treated with colchicine.