TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of ischemic heart disease in patients with familial Mediterranean fever
AU - Langevitz, Pnina
AU - Livneh, Avi
AU - Neumann, Lily
AU - Buskila, Dan
AU - Shemer, Joshua
AU - Amolsky, David
AU - Pras, Mordechai
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Background: Familial Mediterranean fever is a genetic disorder manifested by recurrent attacks of peritonitis, pleuritis and arthritis, and characterized by clinical, histological and laboratory evidence for localized and systemic inflammation. Colchicine treatment usually prevents the attacks and the associated inflammation. Inflammation may play an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. Objective: To study the effect of inflammation and its prevention on the occurrence of IHD, using FMF as a model. Methods and patients: We studied the presence of IHD and its risk factors in 290 FMF patients aged 40 years or more, and in two control groups - 233 spouses of the FMF patients, and 126 patients with inflammatory diseases obtained from other outpatient clinics. FMF patients were also compared with age and gender-matched individuals from the population reference data of the Israel Ministry of Health. Results: The prevalence of IHD in FMF patients was significantly lower than in the group of controls from other outpatient clinics (15.5% vs. 30.2%, P<0.05) and comparable with their spouses (11.2%) and with the matched general population in Israel (16%). Conclusions: These findings suggest that despite the evidence of recurrent inflammation, colchicine-treated FMF patients are not more predisposed to IHD than the normal population.
AB - Background: Familial Mediterranean fever is a genetic disorder manifested by recurrent attacks of peritonitis, pleuritis and arthritis, and characterized by clinical, histological and laboratory evidence for localized and systemic inflammation. Colchicine treatment usually prevents the attacks and the associated inflammation. Inflammation may play an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. Objective: To study the effect of inflammation and its prevention on the occurrence of IHD, using FMF as a model. Methods and patients: We studied the presence of IHD and its risk factors in 290 FMF patients aged 40 years or more, and in two control groups - 233 spouses of the FMF patients, and 126 patients with inflammatory diseases obtained from other outpatient clinics. FMF patients were also compared with age and gender-matched individuals from the population reference data of the Israel Ministry of Health. Results: The prevalence of IHD in FMF patients was significantly lower than in the group of controls from other outpatient clinics (15.5% vs. 30.2%, P<0.05) and comparable with their spouses (11.2%) and with the matched general population in Israel (16%). Conclusions: These findings suggest that despite the evidence of recurrent inflammation, colchicine-treated FMF patients are not more predisposed to IHD than the normal population.
KW - Atherosclerosis
KW - Familial Mediterranean fever
KW - Inflammation
KW - Ischemic heart disease
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035717365&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - מאמר
AN - SCOPUS:0035717365
VL - 3
SP - 9
EP - 12
JO - Israel Medical Association Journal
JF - Israel Medical Association Journal
SN - 1565-1088
IS - 1
ER -