Increased frequency of familial Mediterranean fever in central Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

Objective. It has been observed that familial Mediterranean fever is more prevalent among people coming from central Anatolia in Turkey. To test this observation the frequency of FMF was investigated by afield survey in Sivas, a city located in central of Turkey. Methods. The survey was conducted in a cohort of 4809 persons selected by systematic sampling from 2 districts of Sivas, with a total population of 83,274. Face to face interviewing was done with registered households using a standard questionnaire developed to screen FMF A second interview was conducted by a rheumatologist and an internist of those individuals who were regarded to have possible IMF. Results. The suspicion of FMF emerged in the cases of 46 individuals during the survey and 36 were interviewed for a second time. FMF was diagnosed in 10 cases. Only one had a previous diagnosis of FMF. The overall frequency of FMF among a cohort of 3,948 inhabitants of Sivas was 11395 (0.25%). Conclusion. This study indicates that the prevalence of FMF in Sivas may be higher than that in general Turkish population, which has been reported to be 0.1%.