Genetics of Familial Mediterranean Fever and Its Implications
Authors: George E. Ehrlich
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1998)

Editorials1 October 1998Genetics of Familial Mediterranean Fever and Its ImplicationsGeorge E. Ehrlich, MDGeorge E. Ehrlich, MDPhiladelphia, PA 19106Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-129-7-199810010-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In 1945, Dr. Sheppard Siegal, an allergist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, reported in Annals five cases of “recurrent paroxysms of severe abdominal pain with fever … as high as 105 °F,” all in men and all starting early in life. He named the syndrome benign paroxysmal peritonitis [1]. The peritoneal signs were so severe that “emergency operation [had] been repeatedly urged.” Pleuritic chest pain often accompanied the attacks. At least one of the patients had “urticarial” lesions near the ankle, and another had intermittent joint pains, usually monoarticular. As an allergist, Siegal approached these cases from his ...References1. Siegal S. Benign paroxysmal peritonitis. Ann Intern Med. 1945; 22:1-21. Google Scholar2. Reimann HA. Periodic disease. Periodic fever, periodic abdominalgia, cyclic neutropenia, intermittent arthralgia, angioneurotic edema, anaphylactoid purpura, and periodic paralysis. JAMA. 1949; 141:175-82. Google Scholar3. Sohar E, Gafni J, Pras M, Heller H. Familial Mediterranean fever. A survey of 470 cases and review of the literature. Am J Med. 1967; 43:227-53. Google Scholar4. Sohar E, Pras M, Heller J, Heller H. Genetics of familial Mediterranean fever. Arch Intern Med. 1961; 107:529-38. Google Scholar5. Heller H, Gafni J, Michaeli D, Shahin H, Sohar E, Ehrlich G, et al. The arthritis of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Arthritis Rheum. 1966; 9:1-17. Google Scholar6. Mamoud H, Cattan R. La maladie periodique (sur 4 cas personnels) dont 8 compliques de nephropathies. Seminars d'Hopitaux de Paris. 1952; 28:1062-70. Google Scholar7. Goldfinger SE. Colchicine for familial Mediterranean fever. N Engl J Med. 1972; 287:1302. Google Scholar8. Zemer D, Pras M, Sohar E, Modan B, Cabill S, Gafni J. Colchicine in the prevention and treatment of the amyloidosis of familial Mediterranean fever. N Engl J Med. 1986; 314:1001-5. Google Scholar9. Eisenberg S, Aksentijevich I, Deng Z, Kastner DL, Matzner Y. Diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever by a molecular genetics method. Ann Intern Med. 1998; 129:539-42. Google Scholar10. Koestler A. The Thirteenth Tribe. The Khazar Empire and Its Heritage. New York: Random House; 1975. Google Scholar11. Ehrlich GE. Health challenges of the future. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 1973; 408:70-82. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Philadelphia, PA 19106Corresponding Author: George E. Ehrlich, MD, One Independence Place (1101), 241 South Sixth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-3731. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDiagnosis of Familial Mediterranean Fever by a Molecular Genetics Method Shlomit Eisenberg , Ivona Aksentijevich , Zuoming Deng , Daniel L. Kastner , and Yaacov Matzner Genetics of Familial Mediterranean Fever Paul I. Roda Genetics of Familial Mediterranean Fever Mark Levin Genetics of Familial Mediterranean Fever George E. Ehrlich Metrics Cited ByFamilial Mediterranean Fever (Recurrent Hereditary Polyserositis)Familial Mediterranean fever A review of the disease and clinical and laboratory findings in 105 patientsGenetics of Familial Mediterranean FeverPaul I. Roda, MDGenetics of Familial Mediterranean FeverMark Levin, MD 1 October 1998Volume 129, Issue 7Page: 581-582KeywordsAllergensAmyloidosisArabic peopleAutosomal recessive diseasesColchicineFeversGenetic diseasesGeneticsJewish peopleMutation Issue Published: 1 October 1998 CopyrightCopyright © 1998 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...