The clinical patterns of myalgia in children with familial Mediterranean fever

• Published in: Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 138 - 143
• Main Authors: Majeed, Hasan A., Al-Qudah, Abdul Karim, Qubain, Hani, Shahin, Hasan M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Elsevier Inc 01-10-2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Child; colchicine; Colchicine - therapeutic use; Familial Mediterranean fever; Familial Mediterranean Fever - complications; Familial Mediterranean Fever - drug therapy; Familial Mediterranean Fever - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Jordan - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Muscular Diseases - drug therapy; Muscular Diseases - epidemiology; Muscular Diseases - etiology; myalgia; Prospective Studies; protracted febrile myalgia syndrome; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Jordan; colchicine; Familial Mediterranean fever; myalgia; protracted febrile myalgia syndrome; Human; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Myalgia; Epidemiology; Genetic disease; Symptomatology; Striated muscle disease; Pain; Treatment; Systemic disease; Familial recurrent polyseritis; Frequency; Diagnosis; Child
• ISSN: 0049-0172; 1532-866X
• DOI: 10.1053/sarh.2000.16646

Objectives: To study the frequency and clinical patterns of myalgia in a defined group of children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Methods: A prospective 4-year (September 1995-September 1999) study of children with FMF seen in the pediatric FMF clinic of Jordan University teaching hospital. Diagnosis of FMF was made according to published criteria. Once the diagnosis of FMF and myalgia was made, details about myalgia were collected by interview with the child and his/her parents and entered into a special study form. Results: Of 264 children with FMF seen over the study period, 65 (25%) developed myalgia. Three clinical patterns of myalgia were identified: the spontaneous pattern, the exercise-induced pattern, and the protracted febrile myalgia syndrome (PFMS), seen in 8%, 81%, and 11% of patients, respectively. The three patterns differed in the severity of pain, height of fever, and duration of the episode. In 33 children with the exercise-induced myalgia, in which response to colchicine could be reliably assessed, a favorable response was achieved in 97%. Three children with the PFMS had a dramatic response to corticosteroids. Conclusions: Myalgia in children with FMF is common and can follow three different clinical patterns. Semin Arthritis Rheum 30:138-143. Copyright © 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company