[Sacroiliitis in familial Mediterranean fever]

A 15-year-old girl of Turkish descent had for one year complained of severe recurrent fever-associated deep back pains. Since she was three years of age she had suffered from repeated attacks of fever and severe abdominal pain which ceased spontaneously in 1-3 days. On physical examination the sacrum and iliosacral joints were very painful to percussion, and she limped. Radiography revealed symmetric destructive sacroiliitis. Despite the unusual location of the arthritis, the triad of fever, abdominal pain and arthritis, as well as her belonging to an ethnic "at risk" group, pointed to the diagnosis of familial mediterranean fever (FML) or recurrent hereditary polyserositis. This diagnosis was confirmed by a positive metaraminol provocation test in that infusion of metaraminol reproduced the typical pains. Collagen diseases, rheumatic disease, acute porphyria and chronic infectious processes were excluded. The sacroiliitis quickly responded to long-term administration of colchicine, 0.5 mg twice daily. The patient also has Hageman factor deficiency whose significance remains unclear.