# Insights into familial Mediterranean fever: Chronic disease correlations with arthralgia and current health status of patients with familial Mediterranean fever in Jordan

## TL;DR

This study explores the health status and chronic disease correlations in Jordanian patients with familial Mediterranean fever, highlighting misdiagnosis and the need for premarital testing.

## Contribution

The study identifies hypertension's association with symptom severity and advocates for premarital testing in Jordanian clinical practice.

## Key findings

- 82.1% of participants supported premarital testing due to high FMF transmission in first-degree relative marriages.
- Hypertension was significantly associated with increased severity of myalgia and arthralgia in FMF patients.
- Misdiagnosis remains a major clinical challenge for FMF in Jordan.

## Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) stands as a significant challenge within Jordan’s clinical practice, despite its low prevalence of 0.04% within the Jordanian population. This study aims to investigate the current status of the health status of FMF patients in Jordan while exploring any present associations between chronic diseases and the severity of their symptoms.

This is a cross-sectional descriptive survey-based study conducted during the period between 1st of March till the last of May 2023 in Jordan. The survey was distributed randomly to a group of FMF patients, Sample size was based on FMF prevalence in Jordan (0.04%); study sample (N = 67) included FMF patients in Jordan from different age groups. All results were performed through proper statistical analysis.

The study includes 67 FMF patients, predominantly Jordanian and aged 18–31, revealed that 58.2% only were diagnosed through blood genetic testing. Marriages among first-degree relatives showed a 60% probability of FMF transmission compared to 10% in non-related parents (P = 0.001), leading 82.1% of participants to call for pre-marital testing. Acute symptoms included abdominal pain, fever, arthralgia, and myalgia, with hypertension being the most frequent comorbidity (14.9%) and significantly associated with myalgia and arthralgia (P < 0.05). Colchicine was the primary treatment for 89.6% of patients, with high adherence rates (90.3%).

Among chronic comorbidities, hypertension was associated in increasing the severity of the myalgia during attacks. The issue of misdiagnosis remains a major challenge in Jordanian clinical practice. Our findings assert the importance of future incorporation of FMF premarital testing.