Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common monogenic autoinflammatory disease despite being a rare disease for many rheumatologists. These evidence-based recommendations update the ones issued in 2016 to account for the recent developments in the field and aim to guide rheumatologists and other health professionals in the treatment and follow-up of patients with FMF. A multidisciplinary panel was assembled, including rheumatologists, internists, paediatricians, a nephrologist, an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist, 2 methodologists, and 2 patient representatives, all from the Eastern Mediterranean area and Europe. Several systematic reviews were performed on the pharmacological treatment of FMF and its complications. The previous recommendations were revised considering the updated evidence, and the new levels of evidence were incorporated. The agreement with the recommendations was obtained through a Delphi survey. The final set comprises 4 overarching principles and 12 recommendations, each presented with its degree of agreement (0-10), level of evidence, and rationale. The degree of agreement was greater than 9/10 in all instances, and the level of evidence improved in most updated statements. Improving adherence is emphasised as an important aspect in several statements. These new recommendations include a priority set, quality indicators, and other suggested implementation strategies. This article presents a set of widely accepted recommendations for treating and monitoring FMF, supported by the best available evidence and expert opinion. These recommendations are valuable for guiding physicians in caring for patients with FMF.

Morphea and other scleroderma-like skin conditions are occasionally linked with exposure to chemical compounds such as silicone. We treated a 56-year-old woman with generalized severe skin induration accompanied with systemic symptoms and peripheral eosinophilia, which appeared 2.5 years after breast silicone implantation and abdominal liposuction. Blood test results and histopathological examination of her skin suggested the diagnosis of morphea overlapping with eosinophilic fasciitis. Her skin disease was presumed to be an autoimmune reaction to silicone implantation. While the removal of the implants did not improve her illness, treatment with 1 mg/kg prednisone and PUVA bath was initiated, with some improvement. This patient illustrates an example of ASIA (Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants), as her disease appeared following exposure to an adjuvant stimulus, with ‘typical’, although not well-defined, autoimmune manifestations.

Objective: Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autoinflammatory disease manifested as recurrent serosal inflammation. An association between FMF and malignancy has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to estimate cancer risk in a large cohort of FMF patients from a single institution.Methods: The study cohort consisted of 8,534 FMF patients registered at the National FMF Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel. We linked the study cohort to the database of the Israel National Cancer Registry using the national identity number. Cancer incidence in FMF patients was determined and then stratified by age and sex. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for cancers were calculated.Results: Among 8,534 FMF patients (4,400 men, 4,134 women), 350 developed cancer during the years 1970–2011. The overall cancer risk among patients with FMF was significantly lower than was expected in specific sex and ethnic groups of the Israeli population: for males of Jewish ethnicity, SIR 0.66 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.55–0.77), P < 0.001; for females of Jewish ethnicity, SIR 0.75 (95% CI 0.64–0.86), P < 0.001; and for males of Arab ethnicity, SIR 0.34 (95% CI 0.07–0.99), P = 0.024.Conclusion: FMF patients have a significantly lower incidence of cancer than the general population of Israel. This pattern was demonstrated in 2 ethnic populations: Jewish and Arab. We speculate that the lower cancer incidence could be attributed to a direct physiologic effect of FMF or to its treatment.