[Successful therapeutic effect on periodic disease with the intermittent use of colchicine]

The continuous application of colchicine reduces considerably the incidence of the paroxysms in patients with periodic disease. A patient is described, a Bulgarian, with periodic disease with a duration of 40 years (family Mediterranean fever), successfully treated with intermittent application of colchicine according to a schedule for the last 3 years. The evolution of the clinical manifestations was followed up as well as the absence of effect by the corticosteroid therapy applied before. The intermittent application of colchicine, in this case, prevents totally the paroxysms with high temperature and pain in abdomen, chest and joints with a considerable smaller amount of the drug applied. The intermittent application of colchicine should first be tried in the treatment of patients with periodic diseases.