Fmf Sentence Examples

fmf
  • That is, an event that causes a mild or unnoticeable inflammation in most people might cause a severe inflammatory response in someone with FMF.

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  • Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inherited disorder characterized by an inflammatory response recurring with attacks of fever accompanied by intense pain in the abdomen, chest, or joints.

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  • The symptoms of FMF are due to inflammation of one or more of the serosal membranes (serositis).

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  • Thus, FMF is sometimes called recurrent polyserositis.

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  • During an attack of FMF, large numbers of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, move into the affected areas of the body, where they cause painful inflammation and fever.

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  • Left untreated, amyloidosis often leads to kidney failure, which is the major long-term health risk in FMF.

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  • In most cases, patients diagnosed with FMF first notice the attacks of fever and pain in childhood or adolescence.

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  • People with FMF typically lead normal lives during these pain-free intervals.

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  • It is not entirely clear what brings on an attack, although people with FMF often report mild physical trauma, physical exertion, or emotional stress just prior to the onset of symptoms.

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  • The mainstay of treatment for FMF is an oral medication called colchicine, which is highly effective for the fever and pain that accompany the disorder, as well as for amyloidosis and the kidney disease that can result from it.

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  • Estimates of the incidence of FMF in specific eastern Mediterranean populations range from one in 2,000 Arabs to one in 250 Sephardic Jews, one in 500 Armenians, and one in 1,000 Turks.

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  • A better understanding and recognition of the symptoms of FMF in the late 1990s and early 2000s has resulted in more reports of the condition in other ethnic groups such as Ashkenazic Jews, Italians, Armenian-Americans, and Japanese.

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  • About 50 percent of patients diagnosed with FMF, however, have no family history of the disease.

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  • With regard to sex, FMF is more common in men than in women, with a gender ratio of two men for every one woman.

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  • In terms of age groups, FMF is more common in younger people.

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  • Mutations in the MEFV gene (short for Mediterranean fever) on chromosome number 16 are the underlying cause of FMF.

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  • Autosomal recessive inheritance means that a person with FMF has mutations in both copies of the MEFV gene.

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  • If neither parent of a child with FMF has the condition, it means they carry one mutated copy of the MEFV gene, but also one normal copy, which is enough to protect them from disease.

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  • If both parents carry the same autosomal recessive gene, there is a one in four chance with each pregnancy that the child will inherit both recessive genes and develop FMF.

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  • An abnormal pyrin protein associated with FMF may be partly functional but unstable.

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  • Exactly what causes pyrin in FMF to lose its ability to control neutrophils in some situations is not fully understood as of 2004.

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  • The recurrent acute attacks of FMF typically begin in childhood or adolescence.

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  • About 90 percent of people with FMF have their first attack by age 20.

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  • It can mimic appendicitis, and many people with undiagnosed FMF have had appendectomies or exploratory surgery of the abdomen only to have the fever and abdominal pain return.

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  • A rash described as an erythema (skin reddening) resembling erysipelas accompanies FMF attacks in a minority of people.

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  • In fact, a few people with FMF have been described who have had amyloidosis but apparently no other FMF-related symptoms.

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  • Lastly, certain types of vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) seem to be more common in people diagnosed with FMF.

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  • Parents should consult a doctor for their child if they have Mediterranean ancestry and their child develops recurrent attacks of fever and pain consistent with the symptoms of FMF as described above.

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  • In general, symptoms involving one or more of the following broad groups should lead to suspicion of FMF.

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  • A family history of FMF or its symptoms would obviously be an important clue, but the recessive nature of FMF means there usually is no family history.

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  • The diagnosis may be confirmed when a person with unexplained fever and pain responds to treatment with colchicine, since colchicine is not known to have a beneficial effect on any other condition similar to FMF.

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  • The diagnosis of FMF is often delayed because the symptoms that define the condition are common to many other disorders.

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  • Several infections can result in symptoms similar to FMF (Mallaret meningitis, for instance), and many people with FMF undergo exploratory abdominal surgery and ineffective treatments before they are finally diagnosed.

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  • Direct analysis of the MEFV gene for FMF mutations is the only method to be certain of the diagnosis.

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  • While it was as of 2004 not yet possible to detect all MEFV gene mutations that might cause FMF, successful cloning of the MEFV gene has led to a rapid test that can identify the most common mutations of the gene.

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  • If both members of a couple were proven to be FMF carriers through genetic testing, highly accurate prenatal diagnosis would be available in any subsequent pregnancy.

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  • Similar syndromes of periodic fever and inflammation include familial Hibernian fever and hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome, but both are much less common than FMF.

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  • In the late twentieth century, colchicine was discovered to also be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of attacks in FMF.

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  • Treatment for FMF in the early 2000s consists of taking colchicine daily.

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  • Studies have shown that about 75 percent of FMF patients achieve complete remission of their symptoms, and about 95 percent show marked improvement when taking colchicine.

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  • Other medications may be used as needed to treat the pain and fever associated with FMF attacks.

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  • Some researchers have reported on herbal compounds that appear to be useful in managing patients with FMF.

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  • That information could then be used to develop treatments for FMF with fewer side effects and might also assist in developing therapies for other autoinflammatory diseases.

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  • With regard to long-term effects of FMF, about 5 percent of patients will develop severe arthritis in adult life.

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  • Girls with FMF are likely to have fertility problems as adults; about 30 percent will be unable to have children at all, and those who can conceive have a 20 to 30 percent chance of miscarriage.

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  • The MEFV gene involved in FMF produces an unstable form of pyrin that fails to adequately control the inflammatory response.

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  • Given the genetic nature of FMF, there is as of 2004 no cure for the disorder.

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  • Parental concerns about a child with FMF depend to some extent on the frequency and severity of attacks, as the frequency can range from two episodes per week to one per year.

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  • In most cases, however, children diagnosed with FMF have excellent health between attacks, can keep up with their schoolwork, participate in sports, and enjoy a normal social life.

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  • One concern that parents may wish to discuss with the doctor, however, is the narcotic medications that are often prescribed to ease the pain that accompanies acute attacks of FMF.

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