Exertional leg pain as a manifestation of occult spondyloarthropathy in familial Mediterranean fever: an MRI evaluation

Objectives: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, peritonitis, arthritis, and pleuritis, caused by neutrophil-induced sterile serositis. Another clinical manifestation in patients with FMF is exertional leg and ankle pain that appears after minor exercis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of rheumatology 2012, Vol.41 (6), p.482-486
Main Authors: Eshed, I, Kushnir, T, Livneh, A, Langevitz, P, Ben-Zvi, I, Konen, E, Lidar, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achilles Tendon - pathology
Adult
Exercise
Familial Mediterranean Fever - complications
Familial Mediterranean Fever - pathology
Female
Humans
Leg - pathology
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Pain - etiology
Pain - pathology
Rheumatic Diseases
Spondylarthropathies - complications
Spondylarthropathies - pathology
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Summary:Objectives: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, peritonitis, arthritis, and pleuritis, caused by neutrophil-induced sterile serositis. Another clinical manifestation in patients with FMF is exertional leg and ankle pain that appears after minor exercise, for which the underlying mechanism is obscure. The purpose of the current study was to feature distal leg changes in FMF patients complaining of exertional leg pain, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Eleven patients with FMF who suffer from exertional leg pain (eight males, three females; mean age 33 years) and six unaffected controls (three males, three females; mean age 39 years) underwent MRI (3 T) of the ankle, including conventional T1 and T2 with fat saturation sequences, before and after graded exercise on a treadmill. Clinical and genetic data and sacroiliac radiographs were obtained. Results: Ten patients (91%) with FMF but none of the control group had signs compatible with enthesitis of the Achilles tendon, long plantar ligament, or the plantar fascia (including enthesophytes, erosions, and bone marrow oedema). Nine patients (80%) had radiographic signs of sacroiliitis on the pelvic radiograph. Conclusions: Exertional leg pain in FMF patients, shown to be associated with signs of enthesopathy on imaging, may be included within the spectrum of spondyloarthropathy.
ISSN:0300-9742
1502-7732
DOI:10.3109/03009742.2012.698301