FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER CLINICAL AND GENETIC FEATURES IN DRUZES AND IN IRAQI JEWS - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY

Objective. A number of differences have been noted in clinical familia l Mediterranean fever (FMF) among ethnic groups. Iraqi Jews and Druzes are characterized by less severe disease. The differences in disease expression raise the possibility of background genes peculiar to speci fic ethnic groups. Methods. We analyzed a series of FMF linked microsa tellite markers and searched for gene mutations in these 2 populations . Results. We observed a conserved haplotype in 46% of the FMF druze c hromosomes that was different from the Mediterranean haplotype but ide ntical to the ARM3 haplotype. In contrast, 56% of the FMF chromosomes in Iraqi Jews displayed the same mutation as that found in Jews from N orth Africa, Conclusion, Variable expression in FMF is probably due to both allelic heterogeneity and/or modifier genes as well as environme ntal factors.