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Sustained, progressive, nonresolving abdominal pain: a previously undescribed clinical presentation of familial Mediterranean fever

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Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a genetic disorder characterized by sporadic, acute attacks of fever and serosal inflammation. Typical manifestations are recurrent febrile episodes of acute instauration for brief duration (1 to 4 days) that is associated with severe pain due to serositis at one or more sites. Abdominal crisis occurs in 95% of the patients. Treatment with colchicine is highly effective as preventive treatment, but it is considered to be ineffective for the treatment of established acute attacks. As mentioned, untreated crisis resolves spontaneously in 1 to 4 days. Prolonged, nonresolving crisis of abdominal pain refractory to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids, with fever and elevation of acute phase reactants that resolves after the administration of colchicine, is a clinical presentation undescribed hitherto. The aim of this paper is to report a patient with this distinctively unusual clinical presentation of FMF.

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References

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Eduardo Mysler, MD, for his help while managing the case, to Guillermo Tate, MD, for reviewing the manuscript, and to Mrs. Brenda Koliren and Mrs. Silvia Lang, from MEC Translation & Training, Buenos Aires, Argentina, for proofreading the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Internal Medicine, Sanatorio de la Trinidad (Palermo), Capital Federal, Argentina

    Marcelo Radisic, Joaquin Santamarina & Roberto Froment

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  1. Marcelo Radisic
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  2. Joaquin Santamarina
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  3. Roberto Froment
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Correspondence to Marcelo Radisic.

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Radisic, M., Santamarina, J. & Froment, R. Sustained, progressive, nonresolving abdominal pain: a previously undescribed clinical presentation of familial Mediterranean fever. Clin Rheumatol 25, 914–916 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-0093-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-0093-1

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