Growth in familial mediterranean fever: effect of attack rate, genotype and colchicine treatment

Abstract

We evaluated the effect of attack frequency, homozygosity for the M694V mutation and colchicine treatment on growth in children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Prepubertal patients with FMF (19 M, 14 F) were evaluated retrospectively for height SDS, weight SDS and body mass index (BMI) before and after 46.2 +/- 39.8 months of colchicine therapy. Pretreatment attack frequency and acute phase markers at diagnosis were also recorded. While acute phase markers were not correlated to anthropometric variables, attack rate was negatively, albeit insignificantly, correlated to height and weight SDS. Height SDS did not change, while BMI showed a slight but significant increase during colchicine therapy (16.2 +/- 2.6 to 17.3 +/- 3.1 kg/m2, p = 0.035). Homozygosity for M694V did not affect time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, anthropometric variables and acute phase markers. In conclusion, pre-treatment attack rate and anthropometric development correlated negatively. Colchicine therapy improved BMI slightly, but significantly. Homozygosity for M694V had no effect on anthropometric development.