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Familial Mediterranean fever - Symptom

Alternative Names

Familial paroxysmal polyserositis; Periodic peritonitis; Recurrent polyserositis; Benign paroxysmal peritonitis; Periodic disease; Periodic fever; FMF

Symptoms:

Symptoms usually begin ages 5 and 15. Inflammation in the lining of the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, skin, or joints occurs, along with high fevers that usually peak in 12 to 24 hours. Attacks may vary in severity of symptoms. Patients are usually symptom-free between attacks.

Symptoms may include repeated episoders of:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Chest pain that is sharp and gets worse when taking a breath
  • Fever or alternating chills and fever
  • joint pain
  • Skin lesions that are red and swollen and range from 5 - 20 cm in diameter

Signs and tests:

There is no specific test to diagnose this disease. If genetic testing shows you have the mutation known to be associated with this condition, and your symptoms match a typical pattern, the diagnosis is nearly certain. Ruling out other possible diseases using laboratory tests or x-rays will help determine the diagnosis.

Certain blood tests may be higher than normal when done during an attack. Tests may include:

  • Reviewed last on: 9/15/2010
  • David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Kastner DL. The systemic autoinflammatory diseases. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 282.

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