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Meningitis associated with familial Mediterranean fever
I Karachaliou1, G Karachalios, A Charalabopoulos
1Second Department of Medicine, Red Cross Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Summary
Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) rarely causes neurologic issues like meningitis. This case study shows colchicine effectively treated recurrent meningitis in an FMF patient, suggesting it’s an unusual FMF symptom.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Rheumatology
- Genetics
Background:
- Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a genetic autoinflammatory disorder.
- Neurologic manifestations of FMF are uncommon, with headache being the most frequent symptom.
- Meningitis and convulsions are rare presentations of FMF.
Observation:
- A 30-year-old male patient experienced recurrent episodes of meningitis.
- The patient had a confirmed diagnosis of Familial Mediterranean Fever.
- No other common causes of meningitis were identified.
Findings:
- Treatment with colchicine resulted in the complete resolution of recurrent meningitis attacks.
- The patient remained free of fever and meningitis recurrence after colchicine therapy.
- This suggests a potential link between FMF and recurrent meningitis.
Implications:
- Meningitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with recurrent meningitis, especially if they have FMF.
- Colchicine therapy may be effective in managing neurologic manifestations like meningitis in FMF patients.
- Further research is warranted to understand the pathophysiology of neurologic involvement in FMF.