Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2011 , Vol 57 , Num 1

Familial Mediterranean Fever in Pregnancy: A Case Report

Meltem Alkan Melikoğlu 1 ,Mehmet Melikoğlu 2
1 Ataturk Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Erzurum, Türkiye
2 Erzurum Regional Education and Research Hospital, Department of Dermatology, Health Ministry, Erzurum, Turkey
DOI : 10.4274/tftr.57.10

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent attacks of fever, peritonitis, pleuritis, arthritis and erysipelas-like skin lesions. FMF arthritis is one of the most common features of the attacks and may be the initial presentation of the disease before the onset of the other typical clinical involvements. Although cutaneous manifestations may exhibit great polymorphism, the most characteristic skin lesion in FMF is erysipelas-like erythema. The course of pregnancy in patients with FMF has been reported to be variable, and it has been stated that pregnancy may be a factor triggering the attacks of the disease. In addition to renal amyloidosis as the most important complication, peritonitis may lead to abortion or preterm delivery in pregnant FMF patients. Available data support the continuation of colchicine therapy during pregnancy in patients with FMF. In this paper, we aimed to draw attention to pregnancy in FMF by reporting the case of a patient presenting with acute monoarthritis, as the initial clinical manifestation of the disease, followed by typical skin lesions. 

Keywords : Familial Mediterranean fever, pregnancy, arthritis, skin lesions