Journal of Genetic Syndromes & Gene Therapy
Open Access

Familial Mediterranean Fever

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a genetic disorder that causes recurrent episodes of fever that are typically accompanied by pain in the abdomen, chest, or joints. It most often occurs in individuals of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent, and the first episodes typically begin in childhood. The disease generally affects people of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent, typically Sephardic Jews, Turks, Arabs, and Armenians. Since the discovery of the gene defect, it is being diagnosed more frequently, even among populations where it was thought to be very rare, such as Italians, Greeks, Ashkenazi Jews, and even Asian populations. FMF episodes start before the age of 20 years in approximately 90% of the patients. In about 75% of patients, fever appears before the age of 10 years.