Depression and anxiety in familial mediterranean fever

Background:Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a hereditary autoinflammatory disease characterized by recurrent attacks of fever, peritonitis, pleuritis, arthritis, and skin eruption (1). It is shown by studies that chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, chronic heart disease, hypertension which other than inflammatory – rheumatologic disease increase depression and anxiety (2). There are a few studies evaluating depression and anxiety in FMF patients, and these results are conflicting (3,4).Objectives:To assess the frequency of depression and anxiety in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF)Methods:In this study, 77 FMF patients aged 18 and over who were followed up in Sakarya University Education and Research Hospital, Department of Rheumatology, and 78 healthy volunteers aged 18 and over as thecontrol group. Beck depression scale and Beck anxiety scale were used to depression and anxiety, respectively. Beck’sdepression scale was evaluated as 9 and below normal, 10-16 mild depression, 17-29 moderate depression, 30-63 severe depression. Beck anxiety scale was evaluated as 0-8 normal, 8-15 mild anxiety, 16-25 moderate anxiety, 26 and above severe anxiety.FMF disease severity was determined by Pras scoring.Results:The study group, comprised 77 diagnosed with FMF with a meanage of 37.18 and a control group comprised of 78 healthy controls (C) with a meanage of 35.32 (p=0,058). İn studygroup (P) %63.6, control group (C) %53.8 as female. %36.4 of thestudy group(C), %46.2 of the control group are male. (p=0,216). The prevalence of depression was significantly higher in FMF patients compared to the control group (in order P;C: normal %24,7; %47,4, mild depression: %40.3; %26.9, moderate depression %26; %19.2, severe depression %11.7; %6.4 p<0.015). Similarly in depression results; the prevalence of anxiety was significantly higher in FMF patients compared to the control group (in order P;C normal %23,4; %57.7, mild anxiety %26; %20.5, moderate anxiety %26; %15.4, severe anxiety %24.4; %6.4 p<0,001). Depression status was not correlated with FMF disease severity (p=0.645). A correlation was found between FMF severity and anxiety which it is which was found statistically significant (p=0.005).There was no relationship between erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein with depression and anxiety.Conclusion:Both anxiety and depression frequency are increased in FMF patients compared to healthy controls.References:[1]Livneh A, Langevitz P, Zemer D et al. (1997) Criteria for the diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever. Arthritis Rheum 40 (10), 1879–85.[2]Alonso J, Ferrer M, Gandek B, Ware JE Jr, Aaronson NK, Mosconi P, Rasmussen NK, Bullinger M, Fukuhara S, Kaasa S, Leplège A, IQOLA Project Group (2004) Health-related quality of life associated with chronic conditions in eight countries: results from the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project. Qual Life Res 13:283–298[3]Makay B, Emiroglu N, Unsal E (2010) Depression andanxiety in children and adolescents with familial Mediterranean fever. Clin Rheumatol 29, 375–9.[4]Giese A, Ornek A, Kilic L, Kurucay M, Sendur S. N., Lainka E, Henning B. F. Anxiety and depression in adult patients with familialMediterranean fever: a study comparing patients living in Germany and Turkey. International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases 2017; 20: 2093–2100Disclosure of Interests:None declared