Paediatric rheumatology Are MEFV mutations susceptibility factors in enthesitis-related arthritis patients in the eastern Mediterranean? B. Gülhan1, A. Akkuş1, L. Özçakar2, N. Beşbaş1, S. Özen1 1Department of Paediatric Nephrology ABSTRACT ILAR, with an aim to also cover the and Rheumatology, and Objective. Enthesitis-related arthritis previously suggested terms of juvenile 2 Department of Physical and Rehabilitation, (ERA), is a complex genetic disease. spondyloarthropathy and seronegative Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Although HLA-B27 is well established, enthesitis arthritis syndrome (1, 2). The Ankara, Turkey. it does not explain all the genetic load etiopathogenesis of ERA is not certain Bora Gülhan, MD in ERA. Familial Mediterranean fe- however, it is a complex genetic disease Abdulkadir Akkuş, MD Levent Özçakar, MD ver (FMF), caused by mutations in the like the other subtypes of JIA. Genetic Nesrin Beşbaş, MD MEFV gene, is a frequent autoinflam- predisposition has a significant impact Seza Özen, MD matory disorder in the eastern Medi- on ERA, where common single nucleo- Please address correspondence to: terranenan. tide polymorphisms in multiple genes Prof. Seza Özen, Methods. We investigated the clini- are contributory as well, with real but Department of Paediatrics, cal and imaging features of 53 ERA variable environmental components. Faculty of Medicine, patients, as well as the frequency of HLA-B27 accounts for the major Hacettepe University, MEFV gene mutations in those who genetic load and is positive in approxi- 06100 Sıhhiye, Ankara, Turkey. were HLA-B27 negative. E-mail:
[email protected] mately 90% of the patients with juve- Results. The mean age of the patients nile ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (3).