What is Familial Mediterranean Fever?
Common symptoms of a rare disease from a patient’s point of view.
Fever, stomach ache, body pain. It feels like an intestinal flu, but keeps coming back.
Stress and anxiety make it worse. Worsening symptoms create more stress and anxiety.
Very few doctors in the United States have even heard of it.
What is it? Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF).
Likely you’ve never heard of it either.
What Is Familial Mediterranean Fever?
The first question I get when I tell someone I have FMF is, “When were you in the Mediterranean?” So, let me start by saying this is not a contagious disease and can’t be picked up in the Mediterranean. While I would love to travel the area, I have never been there.
Familial Mediterranean Fever is most prevalent in the countries around the Mediterranean affecting about 1 in 200 in some places. Some doctors also call it, “Periodic Fever Syndrome.”
Familial Mediterranean Fever is a hereditary, auto-inflammatory disease characterized by acute inflammation and recurring fever. Inflammation may affect the lining of the abdomen, lungs, and joints. Occasionally, it may affect the membrane covering…
