$Unique_ID{BRK01443}
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$Title{What is "Mediterranean Fever"?}
$Subject{mediterranean fever ill defined symptoms symptom rare diseases
familial fmf paroxysmal polyserositis sephardic jews arabs armenians turks
italians abdominal pain distended abdomen pleurisy pleuritic amyloidosis
amyloid colchicine fevers disease family jewish arabic armenian turkish
italian temperature temperatures}
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Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


What is "Mediterranean Fever"?


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QUESTION:  A disease that brings on a high fever that lasts for a couple of
days has been called "Mediterranean Fever" by our doctor.  Because of its
unusual name and the fact that no one seems to know much about it, I have
decided to ask for your help.  Can you please provide me with some information
about he disease, how is it diagnosed, where does it come from, how is it
treated and all that an anxious parent might wish to know?

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ANSWER:  This condition, more commonly known as Familial Mediterranean Fever
(FMF) or the jaw breaking name of "familial paroxysmal polyserositis" doesn't
have a clearly defined cause.  As the name suggests, it frequently is seen in
families, although almost 50 percent of patients give no such history.  The
disease is seen most in Sephardic Jews, Arabs, Armenians, Turks and others
whose ancestry comes from the Mediterranean Sea area, although it is rare in
Italians.  There are no specific tests that lead to the diagnosis, but the
picture of the ailment and the course of the disease help a great deal.
Attacks usually begin in childhood between the ages of 5 and 15, although it
may develop at a later age as well.  There is no overall pattern to the
frequency of the attacks, which can vary considerably from patient to patient.
The fever can range from 101.3 F (38.5 C) to as high as 104 F (40 C), and
lasts from 24 to 48 hours.  In some cases it may go on for as long as a week
or 10 days.  The attacks occur at intervals from 2 to 4 weeks, but may not be
seen for as long as a year in some people.  Sometimes there is abdominal pain,
with a distended abdomen, and pleurisy and pleuritic pain is seen in about 75
percent of the patients.  Other symptoms include acute arthritis to large
joints (25 percent), and skin lesions (25 percent).  There can be long periods
when no symptoms occur, and the patients are remarkably free of complaints.
The complication of amyloidosis (where the protein amyloid builds up in organ
tissues in sufficient amounts to impair their function) can make the prognosis
poorer, but the use of colchicine both to treat and prevent attacks also
results in lowering the number of patients that do develop amyloidosis.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.