doiSerbia

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and familial Mediterranean fever: Are they related?

Sarkis Cihat (Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Balikesir University School of Medicine, Balikesir, Turkey)
Caglar Erkan (Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey)
Ugurlu Serdal (Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey)
Cetinkaya Emel (Department of Internal Medicine, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Education Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey)
Tekin Nilüfer (Department of Radiology, Bakirkoy Training and Education Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey)
Arslan Mubeccel (Department of Radiology, Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey)
Özdemir Sebati (Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey)
Tuncer Murat (Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey)

Introduction. Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a periodic febrile disease characterized by acute recurrent episodes of serositis. Liver disease is not considered a part of the spectrum of clinical manifestations of FMF. Objective. The purpose of this study was to characterize the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that could be associated with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Methods. Clinical findings and treatment information of the patients with FMF were obtained from outpatient files. Weight, height, hip and waist circumference, blood pressure, blood C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), fibrinogen, glucose, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), highdensity lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG), creatinine, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and insulin levels were determined in all subjects, and additionally liver ultrasonography was performed for signs of hepatosteatosis. Results. Fifty-two age and gender matched patients with FMF, and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the patient group was determined to be significantly higher in the patient group compared to the healthy group. When FMF patients with and without hepatosteatosis were compared, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was determined to be 6 vs. 3, respectively (p<0.001). Eleven patients with FMF were found to have grade 1-2 hepatosteatosis, and only 6 of healthy subjects had grade 1 hepatoseatosis (p=0.901). Conclusion. When compared with healthy controls, we found the prevalence of NAFLD was not increased in patients with FMF.

Keywords: familial Mediterranean fever, nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases, metabolic syndrome