[Destructive arthropathy in familial Mediterranean fever]

Mediterranean fever, an autosomal recessive hereditary disease usually affecting closely circumscribed populations, is already characterized in early life by recurrent bouts of fever accompanied by polyserositis. One feared complication is amyloidosis, while the other, which is less frequent and almost unknown in Central Europe, is chronic destructive arthropathy. This partial aspect of familial Mediterranean fever is illustrated by the case of an Armenian born in 1960. The value of a theoretically conceivable basic therapy with colchicine is considered. Colchicine has apparently produced good results in the early stages of destructive arthropathy, although the mechanism by which this occurs is not yet understood. The positive effect described is likewise not evident in all cases.