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Assessing the Impact of Familial Mediterranean Fever on Physical Activity in Children Using the Physical Activity
Zelal Aydin1, Eda Nur Dizman1, Hatice Kubra Dursun1
1Departments of Pediatric Rheumatology.
Insights
Children with Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) show lower physical activity levels compared to healthy peers. Reduced activity is linked to exercise-induced leg pain and disease severity, highlighting the need for careful management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Child Health
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetic autoinflammatory disorder affecting children.
- Physical activity is crucial for overall child development and well-being.
- Limited data exists on physical activity levels in pediatric FMF patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate and compare physical activity levels in children with FMF versus healthy controls.
- To explore the relationship between physical activity, acute phase reactants (APRs), and disease activity in FMF.
- To identify factors influencing physical activity in children with FMF.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving FMF patients and age/sex-matched healthy controls (aged 9-14 years).
- Disease activity assessed using Pras scores, AIDAI, and ISSF.
- Weekly physical activity measured via Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) over three months.
Main Results:
- FMF patients exhibited significantly lower PAQ-C scores than controls (p<0.001).
- Children with exercise-related leg pain reported lower physical activity levels (p=0.007).
- Physical activity negatively correlated with disease severity scores (ISSF and AIDAI) and decreased with age in FMF patients.
Conclusions:
- Children diagnosed with FMF demonstrate reduced physical activity.
- Exercise-induced leg pain and higher disease activity scores are associated with lower physical activity.
- Monitoring and encouraging safe physical activity are essential components of FMF management in children.
Background:
This study aimed to evaluate physical activity levels of children with Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), and to compare these levels with age-matched and sex-matched healthy peers. A secondary aim was to investigate associations between physical activity, acute phase reactants (APRs), and disease activity scores.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study enrolled FMF patients aged 9 to 14 years and matched healthy controls. Disease activity was assessed using Pras scores, Auto-Inflammatory Diseases Activity Index (AIDAI), and International Severity Scoring System for FMF (ISSF). Physical activity was evaluated weekly using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C) over 3 months. Correlations of PAQ-C scores with APRs and disease activity parameters were analyzed at multiple time points, and repeated-measures analyses were performed.
Results:
Overall, 140 participants were included (70 in the control group and 70 in the patient group). The study group had significantly lower PAQ-C scores than controls (2.75±0.71 vs. 3.37±0.54; p <0.001). Patients with exercise-related leg pain had significantly lower PAQ-C scores than those without pain (2.54±0.60 vs. 2.99±0.76; p =0.007). A significant negative correlation was found between age and PAQ-C scores in the study group ( r =-0.377, p =0.001). PAQ-C scores were negatively correlated with ISSF scores (r =-0.278, p =0.020 and r =-0.288, p =0.016) and the AIDAI scores ( r =-0.305, p =0.010 and r =-0.396, p <0.001) at first and the third months.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that children with FMF have reduced physical activity, particularly those with exercise-induced leg pain. The decline with age may reflect increased disease awareness, emphasizing the need for monitoring and promoting safe physical engagement in disease management.
