Treatment options in colchicine resistant familial Mediterranean fever patients: thalidomide and etanercept as adjunctive agents.

E Seyahi, H Ozdogan, S Celik, S Ugurlu… - Clinical and …, 2006 - europepmc.org
E Seyahi, H Ozdogan, S Celik, S Ugurlu, H Yazici
Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 2006•europepmc.org
Objective Regular colchicine treatment cannot control the typical febrile attacks of FMF in
about 5-10% of the compliant patients. Here we report the effect of thalidomide and
etanercept in 5 colchicine-resistant cases. Methods Five (4M/1F) FMF patients between April
2005 and March 2006, who were experiencing at least 2 attacks per month, despite regular
colchicine were included to the study. Four male patients were given thalidomide 100 mg/d
initially. Two of these patients unresponsive to thalidomide were prescribed subcutaneous …
Objective
Regular colchicine treatment cannot control the typical febrile attacks of FMF in about 5-10% of the compliant patients. Here we report the effect of thalidomide and etanercept in 5 colchicine-resistant cases.
Methods
Five (4M/1F) FMF patients between April 2005 and March 2006, who were experiencing at least 2 attacks per month, despite regular colchicine were included to the study. Four male patients were given thalidomide 100 mg/d initially. Two of these patients unresponsive to thalidomide were prescribed subcutaneous injections of etanercept 25 mg, twice a week. The female patient received etanercept as the first choice due to potential side effects. She then had to be converted to thalidomide due to a severe injection site reaction.
Results
The median follow up period with thalidomide and etanercept was 8 months. Both thalidomide and etanercept lowered the number of the abdominal attacks.
Conclusion
Thalidomide and etanercept might be effective as additional treatment in colchicine-resistant cases of FMF.
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