Acute Pericarditis as the First Manifestation of Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Possible Relationship with Idiopathic Recurrent Pericarditis

Katsunobu Yoshioka, Yutaka Furumitsu, Tatsushi Sano, Takahiro Miyamoto, Kazunaga Agematsu
2014 Internal medicine (Tokyo. 1992)  
A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to periodic episodes of acute pericarditis. These episodes occurred monthly along with a high fever and elevation of the C-reactive protein (CRP) level. The patient became afebrile and his CRP level decreased following the administration of a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug. A mutation analysis revealed the heterozygote of the familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) gene (E84K, G304R). This finding confirmed our diagnosis, and we treated the
more » ... ent with colchicine. He responded to treatment and has been visiting our hospital without disease recurrence. FMF should be included in the differential diagnosis of repeated episodes of pericarditis. A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital due to a high fever, chest pain and atopic dermatitis-like skin lesions. He had been in good health until three months before admission to our hospital, when he noticed a high fever (38-39°C) and chest pain that worsened in association with changes in position over seven days. He visited his family doctor. Laboratory results revealed marked elevation of the C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (26.56 mg/dL). Electrocardiogram (ECG) findings showed apparent ST-segment eleva-
doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.53.2064 pmid:25088882 fatcat:bqa4soirore2rdp4sz36sygjtm