Abstract
Objectives: This study investigates the prevalence of obesity in children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 70 patients with FMF whose cases had been followed in our Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology Unit. The height and weight measurements of children with FMF were obtained and body mass index was calculated. Results: The mean body mass index was 16.7± 2.4 in the boys, and 17.4±2.9 in the girls. Nine of the children (five boys, four girls) were found to be overweight, a rate of 12.8% in FMF patients. Obesity was not detected in FMF patients. Conclusions: We think that there are some unligteening molecular mechanisms that prevent obesity in FMF patients. Due to the limited number of patients in this study, further research involving more patients are needed.
Highlights
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), an autosomal recessive disorder common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations, especially in Sephardic Jewish, Armenian and Turkish populations, is characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, abdominal pain, joint pain, and less frequently, pleuritis, pericarditis and rash, described as erysipelas-like erythema [1]
It has been shown that substantial subclinical inflammation occurs widely and over prolonged periods in patients with FMF, indicating that the relatively infrequent clinically overt attacks represent the tip of the iceberg in this disorder [4]
It is increasingly evident that the inflammatory state may be causal in the development of insulin resistance and the other disorders associated with obesity, such as hyperlipidaemia and metabolic syndrome [5]
Summary
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), an autosomal recessive disorder common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern populations, especially in Sephardic Jewish, Armenian and Turkish populations, is characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, abdominal pain, joint pain, and less frequently, pleuritis, pericarditis and rash, described as erysipelas-like erythema [1]. The prognosis of this disease depends on the development of the amyloidosis of AA type with prominent renal involvement [2]. Obesity is characterized by a state of chronic low-grade inflammation [5]. We aimed to show the relationship between the diseases and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in FMF patients
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