THE EFFICACY OF INTERFERON-ALPHA ON COLCHICINE-RESISTANT FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER ATTACKS - A PILOT-STUDY

About a quarter of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients have re current painful attacks of polyserositis despite regular colchicine tr eatment. There is no known alternative drug for colchicine-resistant c ases. We had previously observed a patient with FMF whose painful atta cks disappeared during the 6 month period of interferon alpha (IFN) tr eatment for his chronic hepatitis B. The objective of the present stud y was to investigate the possible beneficial effect of IFN on these ep isodes. Twenty-one consecutive attacks in seven adult patients with FM F were treated at early onset with IFN, the dosage being 3-10 million IU s.c. Eighteen of the 21 attacks could be halted in a mean time of 3 .05 h, while the intensity of abdominal pain remained very low. Observ ed side-effects were generally mild and acceptable. IFN may be a usefu l adjunct for the treatment of colchicine-resistant attacks in FMF pat ients.