CHRONIC COLCHICINE TREATMENT DOES NOT IMPAIR GLUCOSE-TOLERANCE IN FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER PATIENTS

Objective: To investigate a long-term colchicine treatment in inhibiti ng normal release of insulin, in response to a glucose load. Setting: The Heller Institute of Medical Research, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Ha shomer. Patients: Thirty-one familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patien ts, treated continuously with colchicine (1.0-2.0 mg.day(-1)) for 2-13 years. Methods: A standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was per formed to study the effect of long-term colchicine treatment on glucos e-induced insulin response. An intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVG TT) was then performed on randomly chosen FMF patients (n = 9) and age -matched controls (n = 5). Glucose was administered 30 min after intra venous colchicine (2 mg) infusion. The sum of 1st- and 3rd-min insulin levels served as an index of early-phase insulin release. Results: Ba sed on the Office Guide to Diagnosis of Glucose Intolerance [13], one subject exhibited impaired glucose tolerance and two others had abnorm al dynamics of glucose during the test but normal values at 120 min. I nsulin values were normal in all participants. No significant differen ces were found in maximal glucose and insulin concentration, nor in th e insulin release index between FMF colchicine-treated and healthy con trols. Conclusions. Based on these findings, no impairment in glucose dynamics could be demonstrated in chronically colchicine treated patie nts, compared to untreated controls.