The Influence of Coexisting Familial Mediterranean Fever on Crohn’s Disease

Abstract

Goal: The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of coexisting familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) on Crohn’s disease (CD) patients’ phenotype and disease course in an endemic region for FMF. Background: CD and FMF are inflammatory diseases characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and fever attacks. The impact of coexisting FMF on CD patients’ phenotype and disease course is currently unknown. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 210 adult CD patients who were regularly followed up at a tertiary gastroenterology clinic between November 2006 and April 2018. The patients were divided into FMF positive (CD-FMF) and FMF negative (CD-control) groups. The severity of CD was assessed by the rate of hospitalization because of CD, the need for biological therapy, and whether surgery was performed for CD. Results: Eight (3.8%) of 210 CD patients have concomitant FMF, which is 35 to 40 times higher than expected in an endemic region for FMF. Baseline demographic parameters, location/behavior of the CD, and initial therapeutic regimens were similar between the 2 groups. The prevalence of peripheral arthritis was significantly higher in CD-FMF group (37.5% vs. 10.4%, respectively, P=0.04). A significantly greater proportion of the CD-FMF patients had received biological therapy (50% vs. 11.9%; P=0.012). Steroid dependence and CD-related hospitalization rates in the CD-FMF group were relatively higher but were not statistically significant (37.5% vs. 15.3 and 62.5% vs. 41.1%). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the disease course of CD tends to be more severe in patients with coexisting FMF.