Abstract
Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a periodic fever syndrome caused by MEFV mutations. FMF may be associated with psoriasis in some cases. The prevalence of psoriasis in the normal Turkish population is 0.42%. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of psoriasis among FMF patients and their relatives.Methods: FMF patients followed at Hacettepe University Adult and Pediatric Rheumatology Departments between January and August 2016 were included. FMF patients/their relatives were accepted to have psoriasis if the diagnosis was made by a dermatologist.Results: A total of 351 FMF patients (177 adults; 174 children) were included. The median (min–max) age of adult and pediatric patients was 35 (19–63) and 10 (2–18) years, respectively. Thirteen (3.7%) FMF patients (11 adults, 2 children) had psoriasis. Psoriasis was more common in adult than pediatric patients (p = 0.02). Psoriasis was present in 22 (12.4%) of adult and 9 (5.2%) of pediatric patients’ relatives (p = 0.023). The frequency of psoriasis in ≥1 relatives of FMF patients was found to be 8.8%. Abdominal pain and fever were significantly higher, and arthralgia, arthritis, pleural chest pain, and pericarditis were significantly less frequent in the pediatric group than in adults (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Psoriasis was more common in FMF patients than in the normal population. Thus, FMF patients should be questioned and carefully examined for psoriasis lesions and psoriasis family history. Prospective multicenter studies may be important to find the incidence of psoriasis in FMF.
Highlights
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common autoinflammatory disorder characterized by periodic fever and polyserositis caused by MEFV mutations [1]
Our study is the first study investigating the rates of psoriasis both in adult and pediatric FMF patients
We found that psoriasis was more common in adult than pediatric FMF patients
Summary
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common autoinflammatory disorder characterized by periodic fever and polyserositis caused by MEFV mutations [1]. Skin manifestations are not common in FMF attacks except in erysipelaslike erythema [5]. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects 2%–3% of the population [6,7]. The prevalence of psoriasis in the normal Turkish population is 0.42% [8]. Psoriasis is a complex disease affected by genetic and environmental factors [9]. De novo keratinocyte proliferation with abnormal epidermal differentiation is the main histopathological process in psoriasis [9], and it is thought that keratinocytes are stimulated by an active immune system, especially T lymphocytes in focal skin lesions [10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
