Infliximab treatment of familial Mediterranean fever and its effect on secondary AA amyloidosis

S Metyas, DG Arkfeld, DM Forrester… - JCR: Journal of …, 2004 - journals.lww.com
S Metyas, DG Arkfeld, DM Forrester, GR Ehresmann
JCR: Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, 2004journals.lww.com
We describe a patient with a long history of familial Mediterranean fever who developed
proteinuria as a result of secondary AA amyloidosis. In this patient, the inflammatory
process, including recurrent attacks of arthritis, abdominal pain, nephrotic syndrome
secondary to amyloidosis, and high sedimentation rate, was rapidly suppressed by
treatment with infliximab and there was remarkable improvement of the proteinuria. Because
TNF-α is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a major role in FMF and secondary amyloid, it …
Abstract
We describe a patient with a long history of familial Mediterranean fever who developed proteinuria as a result of secondary AA amyloidosis. In this patient, the inflammatory process, including recurrent attacks of arthritis, abdominal pain, nephrotic syndrome secondary to amyloidosis, and high sedimentation rate, was rapidly suppressed by treatment with infliximab and there was remarkable improvement of the proteinuria. Because TNF-α is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a major role in FMF and secondary amyloid, it is an appropriate target for therapy. Our case is the first case of reactive systemic amyloidosis secondary to familial Mediterranean fever, which responded favorably to infliximab.
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins