Familial Mediterranean Fever Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

What is familial Mediterranean fever?

It is basically an inflammatory disorder which tends to cause repeated fevers. The condition also causes painful inflammation of the joints, lungs and abdomen. FMF is an inherited disorder, which mostly occurs in individuals of Mediterranean origin; however it may strike all ethnic groups. Usually, familial Mediterranean fever is detected during childhood.

Unfortunately, the condition is incurable; however one can prevent or relieve his or her symptoms simply by sticking to the treatment plan.

What are the symptoms of familial Mediterranean fever?

Usually, its symptoms start during the childhood. It occurs in form of bouts (attacks) which last for 1-3 days. Few of its common symptoms include:

Muscle aches.
Chest pain.
Abdominal pain.
Fever.
Swollen, achy joints.
Rash on the legs, particularly below the knees.
A tender, swollen scrotum.
Constipation which is followed by diarrhea.

Between the attacks, the person is likely to feel fine and normal.

What causes familial Mediterranean fever?

It is caused due to gene mutations which are transferred by both the parents to their children. Such gene mutation tends to cause problems to regulate inflammation.

What are the risk factors of familial Mediterranean fever?

Certain factors known to increase the chances of developing familial Mediterranean fever are:

In case familial Mediterranean fever runs in your family, say your father and mother has it, then you are more likely to experience the disease.

What are the possible complications of familial Mediterranean disease?

In case the disease is left untreated, it can lead complications including:

Kidney damage.
Infertility in women.
Joint pain.
Abnormal growth of protein in your blood.

How is familial Mediterranean fever diagnosed?

In order to diagnose familial Mediterranean fever, few procedures and tests can be needed, such include:

Reviewing medical history of the patient’s family.
Physical examination: the doctor will need details regarding the patient’s symptoms and carry out a thorough physical exam for gathering some more useful information.
During the attack, blood tests can reveal high levels of particular markers which signal towards an inflammatory condition.
Genetic testing finds out if the patient’s gene tends to contain mutation linked with FMF.

How is familial Mediterranean fever treated?

Clearly speaking, familial Mediterranean fever is incurable; however its treatment can greatly help preventing its symptoms. Certain drugs used for controlling the symptoms of the condition are:

Colchicine: the particular drug has to be taken in form of pill. It can help decrease inflammation in the patient’s body whilst prevent attacks. Your doctor will decide the suitable dosing strategy according to your case. Few side effects associated with the drug include numbness in the feet or hands, muscle weakness and diarrhea.
Few other drugs for preventing inflammation: particularly for patients whose symptoms do not respond to the previously mentioned drug, other medications can be an alternative option for controlling the inflammation. Such as: