Question: What is (are) Familial Mediterranean fever ?
Answer: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inherited condition characterized by episodes of painful inflammation of the abdominal lining (peritonitis), lining surrounding the lungs (pleurisy), and joints (arthralgia and occasionally arthritis). These episodes are often accompanied by fever and sometimes a characteristic ankle rash. The first episode usually occurs in childhood or the teenage years, but in some cases, the initial attack occurs much later in life. Between attacks, people often do not have any symptoms. Without treatment, FMF can lead to kidney failure due to a buildup of certain protein deposits (amyloidosis). FMF is usually inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion and is caused by mutations in the MEFV gene. Treatment for FMF often involves use of a medication called colchicine.
Source: GARD

Question: Is Familial Mediterranean fever inherited ?
Answer: How is familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) inherited? FMF is almost always inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. This means that to be affected, a person must have a mutation in both copies of the responsible gene in each cell. The parents of an affected person usually each carry one mutated copy of the gene and are referred to as carriers. Carriers typically do not show signs or symptoms of the condition. When two carriers of an autosomal recessive condition have children, each child has a 25% (1 in 4) risk to have the condition, a 50% (1 in 2) risk to be a carrier like each of the parents, and a 25% chance to not have the condition and not be a carrier. As many as 1 in 5 people of Sephardic (non-Ashkenazi) Jewish, Armenian, Arab and Turkish heritage are carriers for FMF. In rare cases, this condition appears to be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. This means that to be affected, a person only needs a change (mutation) in one copy of the responsible gene in each cell. In some cases, an affected person inherits the mutation from an affected parent. Other cases may result from new (de novo) mutations in the gene. These cases occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family. A person with FMF inherited in an autosomal dominant manner has a 50% chance with each pregnancy of passing along the altered gene to his or her child. In some cases, FMF may appear to be autosomal dominant when it is actually autosomal recessive. This phenomenon is called pseudodominance. This may happen in families if one parent is an unaffected, unknown carrier (with 1 mutation) and the other parent is affected (with 2 mutations). It may appear that an affected child inherited FMF from only the affected parent, when in fact he/she inherited one mutation from each parent.
Source: GARD

Question: How to diagnose Familial Mediterranean fever ?
Answer: How is familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) diagnosed? In making a diagnosis of FMF, doctors take all of these factors into account: Whether the person has the clinical symptoms common for the disease and whether the symptoms are recurrent. How he or she responds to colchicine treatment. Usually a positive family history in people of Middle Eastern ancestry. The results of genetic testing. Also helpful in establishing a correct diagnosis of FMF is the person's ancestry. Testing for the following can also be helpful: Elevated white blood cell count, which is an indication of an immune response. Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), which is an indication of an inflammatory response. Elevated plasma fibrinogen, which helps stop bleeding. An elevated amount would indicate that something might be wrong with this mechanism. Elevated serum haptoglobin, which would indicate that red blood cells are being destroyed, a common occurrence in rheumatic diseases, such as FMF. Elevated C-reactive protein, which is a special type of protein, produced by the liver, that is only present during episodes of acute inflammation. Elevated albumin in the urine, which is demonstrated by urinalysis. The presence of the protein albumin in the urine can be a symptom of kidney disease, along with microscopic hematuria (very small - microscopic - amounts of blood or blood cells in the urine), during attacks. Is genetic testing for familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) available? Yes. The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic testing for this condition. We strongly recommend that you work with a genetics professional if you wish to pursue genetic testing.
Source: GARD

Question: What are the treatments for Familial Mediterranean fever ?
Answer: How might familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) be treated? Currently, there is no known cure for FMF. Physicians can only treat the symptoms of the disease. A common therapy for FMF is daily use of the drug colchicine, a medicine that reduces inflammation. Many people require colchicine for life. This therapy has been successful in preventing attacks of fever in 75 percent of those who take the drug regularly. Over 90 percent of people with FMF demonstrate a marked improvement. Even if colchicine does not prevent the fever attacks, it does prevent the amyloidosis. However, compliance in taking colchicine every day is very important. If a person stops taking the drug, an attack can occur within a few days. Complications of colchicine use can also occur and include muscle weakness (myopathy) and a toxic epidermal necrolysis-like reaction. Since the gene that causes FMF codes for the protein pyrin, researchers hope that by studying how this protein works they will ultimately develop improved treatments for FMF, and possibly for other conditions involving excess inflammation.
Source: GARD