Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a medical condition which is marked by recurrent episodes of inflammation of the chest, joints or the abdomen. This is an inherited medical problem which generally occurs in the childhood and is accompanied with a severe rash or fever. Episodes of this kind of fever generally lasts for 12 to 72 hours but may vary in the seriousness or severity.
This disease gets its name from the fact that it mainly affects the people originating in the Mediterranean regions of American, Turkey or Arabian nations. Do you know the Familial Mediterranean Fever symptoms or signs? If not then you must go through the information given in the following part of the article:
Symptoms of Familial Mediterranean Fever
Even though the patients do not show any identifiable signs and symptoms between the attacks but the following are the main signs of Familial Mediterranean Fever:
- Regular episodes of abdominal pain are one of the easily recognizable symptoms of this medical condition which affects the chest, joints and abdomen.
- Chest pain which generally gets sharp and worse while breathing is another sign of FMF.
- Joint Pain is another symptom which may not directly point out to FMF but is found to be pretty commonly occurring in people who suffer from this medical condition.
- Fever which may transform to alternating chills and fever is also a sign that the person might be undergoing FMF and this demands attention of a doctor.
- Any person who is experiencing skin lesions which are not only swollen but also red in color are an indication of this kind of a medical condition. These skin lesions generally range from 5-20 cm in diameter.
- Another symptom of FMF is achy and swollen joints.
- A tender as well as swollen scrotum can also be considered as an indication of Familial Mediterranean Fever and should be immediately treated by a doctor.
- A symptom which might not directly indicate the occurrence of FMF is constipation which is generally followed by diarrhea.
- Myalgia is another sign of FMF.
Diagnosis of Familial Mediterranean Fever
At present, there is no definite cure for FMF but physicians can treat the symptoms of the disease and therefore it is important for the symptoms to be recognized by the patients as soon as possible. A therapy that can be used for the treatment of inflammation is the use of drug colchicines.
