AB0985 THE EFFECT OF GENDER ON CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER
Authors: E. Gur Kabul, B. Basakci Calik, M. Bali, G. Otar Yener, Z. Ekici Tekin, S. Yuksel
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2020)

Background: In the literature, it was reported that children with with Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) have lower functional capacity and muscle strength than healthy children. With reduced functional capacity, daily activities are negatively affected. The individual starts to adopt an inactive lifestyle and decreases in muscle strength are observed. A vicious circle occurs and results in exacerbation of symptoms and worse quality of life. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of gender on dynamic muscular endurance, physical activity and quality of life with FMF. Methods: Forty-eight children and adolescents (26 girls, 22 boys, mean age=12.43±3.04 years, age range=7-18 years) were included. Exclusion criteria:The presence of another disease. Intraarticularsteroid injection or surgery in any joint in the last 3 months. Evaluations were made by the same pediatric rheumatologist and physiotherapist by face to face interview method. Dynamic muscle endurance was evaluated by use of curl up test (30 sec), push up test (30 sec) and one-legged stationary hop test (15 sec); physical activity level by Physical Activity Questionnaire and quality of life by Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 3.0 Arthritis Module. Physical Activity Questionnaire contains nine items and evaluates physical activities in last seven days and frequency of these activities. As score increases, level of physical activity increases. In this study, child and parent forms of PedsQL were used to evaluate the quality of life. High scores mean high quality of life. Independent Samples Test was used in the analysis because the data fit the normal distribution. Results: Difference was significant in Physical Activity Questionnaire (p=0.028) in favor of girl gender whereas in child form (p=0.017) and parent form (p=0.040) of PedsQL (p=0.003) in favor of boy gender. Conclusion: We see that the physical activity are lower in children and adolescents with FMF who have a gender of girls and, accordingly, lower quality of life. Therefore, we believe that these individuals should increase their physical activities. References: [1]Gualano B, S´a Pinto AL, Perondi B, Leite Prado DM, Omori C, Almeida RT, Sallum AM, Silva CA. Evidence for prescribing exercise as treatment in pediatric rheumatic diseases. Autoimmun Rev 2010;9(8):569-573. [2]Alayli G, Durmus D, Ozkaya O, Sen HE, Nalcacioglu H, Bilgici A, Kuru O. Functional Capacity, Strength, and Quality of Life in Children and Youth With Familial Mediterranean Fever. Pediatric Physical Therapy 2014;26(3):347-352. Table 1. Demographic characteristics Variables Girls (n=26 ) Boys (n=22 ) M±SD M±SD Age (years) 12.96±2.91 11.86±3.24 Body weight (kg) 42.76±12.55 40.17±11.89 Height (m) 1.50±0.13 1.48±0.15 BMI (kg/m 2 ) 18.25±2.90 17.85±3.39 Age of onset (years) 7.57±4.07 7.22±3.99 Dose of colchicine (per day) 1.18±0.60 1.63±0.68 Duration of treatment (years) 5.30±2.90 4.61±3.34 C-reactive protein (mg/dl) 0.88±2.28 1.25±2.91 Pras et al severity score 6.35±2.68 5.31±2.60 n (%) n (%) FMF in the family (Yes/No) 4(15.4)/16(61.5) 12(54.5)/10(45.5) Arthritis (Yes/No) 9(34.6)/17(65.4) 6(27.3)/16 (72.7) Arthralgia (Yes/No) 20(76.9)/6(23.1) 14(63.6)/ 8(36.4) Knee (Yes/No) 6(23.1)/20(76.9) 7(31.8)/15 (68.2) Elbow (Yes/No) 1(3.8)/25(96.2) 0(0)/22(100) Ankle (Yes/No) 6(23.1)/20(76.9) 7(31.8)/15(68.2) Hand (Yes/No) 1(3.8)/25(96.2) 1(4.5)/21(95.5) Table 2. Comparison of data in terms of gender Variables Girls (n=26 ) Boys (n=22 ) p* M±SD M±SD Curl Up Test (repeat) 10.70±3.58 12.80±3.66 0.075 Push Up Test (repeat) 10.55±5.06 11.75±6.29 0.511 One-legged Stationary Hop Test (repeat) 37.60±12.74 35.35±6.02 0.480 Physical Activity Questionnaire 16.93±5.70 20.70±5.77 0.028 PedsQL- child form 19.15±13.48 10.68±9.38 0.017 PedsQL- parent form 22.30±17.85 13.04±11.06 0.040 Disclosure of Interests: None declared