Cardiac manifestations of Familial Mediterranean fever

Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is autoinflammatory disorder characterized by sporadic attacks of fever, peritonitis, pleuritis, and arthritis. It is mainly seen in patients from Mediterranean origins, but it is now reported more frequently in Europe and North America due to immigration. To analyze the data on the cardiovascular manifestations in FMF patients, we searched PubMed using the terms "Familial Mediterranean Fever" or "FMF" in combination with other key words including "cardiovascular diseases" "pericardial diseases" "atherosclerosis" "coronary artery diseases" "cardiomyopathy" "pulmonary hypertension" or "valvular diseases." suggested several mechanisms to explain the cardiac involvements in FMF including the ongoing inflammation and the amyloid deposits in the heart and vessels' walls at the advanced stages of FMF. The course of these manifestations varies widely, but it can associate with poor prognosis in some cases such as with pulmonary hypertension. Interestingly, Colchicine, which is the cornerstone therapy of FMF, plays a vital role in treating and preventing some of these disorders. In this article, In this article, we will discuss the incidence, pathophysiology, and prognosis of the various cardiac manifestations affecting FMF patients.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis; cardiomyopathy; coronary artery disease; familial mediterranean fever; pericarditis.