Vol.20 No.4

Case Report

Protracted febrile myalgia syndrome in familial Mediterranean fever

Authors

Kazim Senel1 , Meltem Alkan Melikoglu1 , Tuba Baykal1 , Mehmet Melikoglu2 , Akin Erdal1 , Mahir Ugur1

  • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical Faculty, Ataturk University, Erzurum, 25240, Turkey
  • Department of Dermatology, Medical Faculty, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
Received:

21 August 2009

Accepted:

22 February 2010

Published online:

30 March 2010

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Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal, recessively inherited multisystem disease that affects various groups of people originating from the Mediterranean Sea region, most specifically those of Jewish, Turkish, Armenian, and Arabic ethnicity. Recurrent attacks of fever and sterile polyserositis of the peritoneum, synovial membranes, and pleura are the main clinical features, although the clinical features of FMF have been expanded in recent years to also include severe myalgia, scrotal swelling, cardiac involvement, and protracted febrile myalgia syndrome (PFMS). PFMS is seen in only a small percentage of FMF patients and is characterized by severe debilitating myalgia of the upper and lower extremities and high fever, occasionally accompanied by abdominal pain, diarrhea, arthritis/arthralgia, and transient vasculitic purpura mimicking Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura (HSP). Here, we report on a patient with FMF who also presents with PFMS, which is an uncommon and severe manifestation of the disease.

Key words

Familial Mediterranean fever - Myalgia - Protracted febrile myalgia syndrome