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Familial Mediterranean fever responds well to infliximab: single case experience

Salih Ozgocmen1, Levent Ozçakar, Ozge Ardicoglu

  • 1Division of Rheumatology, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey. sozgocmen@hotmail.com

Clinical Rheumatology
|September 21, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) patients resistant to standard treatments may benefit from infliximab, an anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. This treatment achieved remission in a patient with severe FMF, including spondylitis and febrile episodes.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Immunology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) commonly presents with acute recurrent monoarthritis.
  • However, FMF can also manifest with spondyloarthropathy-like findings or ankylosing spondylitis.
  • Standard treatments like colchicine, sulfasalazine, and methotrexate are not always effective.

Observation:

  • A case study of an FMF patient resistant to conventional therapies.
  • The patient received infliximab, a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor.
  • A 72-week follow-up was conducted to assess treatment efficacy.

Findings:

  • Infliximab treatment led to complete remission of febrile abdominal episodes in the FMF patient.
  • Spondylitis associated with FMF showed a significant positive response to infliximab.
  • Despite infliximab's benefits for FMF symptoms, bilateral aseptic necrosis of the femoral head persisted, causing hip-related issues.

Implications:

  • Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha appears to play a crucial role in FMF pathogenesis.
  • Anti-TNF therapies, such as infliximab, represent a promising and effective treatment alternative for refractory FMF.
  • Further research into anti-TNF agents for FMF management is warranted.

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