Familial Mediterranean Fever

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) which is an autosomal recessive inherited disease and characterized by short term repetitive severe abdominal pain with high fever attacks resulting from abdominal cavity inflammation.

The first attack is a very common symptoms for 90% of the patients at the age of 20. In some patients, accumulation of the amyloid protein can be observed in internal organs , for example kidney. The intensity of the inflammatory attacks can be reduced by means of colchicine treatment in 95% of patients.

"The results suggest a helical structure which must be very closely packed containing probably 2, 3 or 4 coaxial nucleic acid chains per helical unit and having the phosphate groups near the outside."

Rosalind Elsie Franklin