There is no cure for Mediterranean Disease, a condition also referred to as Familial Mediterranean Fever. The range and duration of symptoms will vary from one individual to the next, however treating Mediterranean Disease is very easy. Though no cure exists for Mediterranean Disease, treating your condition will manage your symptoms and provide you effective relief.
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The signs and symptoms of Mediterranean Disease are complex and can vary from one individual to the next. Most signs of Mediterranean Disease will begin in the early childhood years, and diagnosis will often occur before the patient reaches the age of 20. Most often, the symptoms and signs of Mediterranean Disease are referred to as ‘attacks’ and will occur without warning. Often, these attacks will last anywhere from a few hours to several days, and symptoms will peak within the first 12 hours of the attack.
Mediterranean Disease is also referred to as Familial Mediterranean Fever, or FMV, and is a rare disorder affecting those of Mediterranean descent. Common groups affect are Arabs, Turks, Armenians, and many others. However Mediterranean Disease is a genetic disorder and as such, this disease is not exclusive to Mediterranean descent.
Diagnosing Mediterranean Disease can prove difficult, and to date there is no specific test that can detect Familial Mediterranean Fever. Your doctor will use your reported symptoms to rule out other disorders and diseases and will make a diagnosis based on a series of symptoms or combination of several factors. Genetic testing may also be performed if you wish to have children to determine if you will pass on this disease to your offspring.
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Mediterranean Disease is a rare inflammatory disease that affects those of Mediterranean descent. The only known cause to date of Mediterranean Disease is a genetic cause and thus this disease is inherited and spread genetically. To date there is no alternate known cause of Mediterranean Disease.
The cause of Mediterranean Disease is a defect of a genetic nature on the 16th chromosome. The gene that is affected is known as the MEFV and it provides the essential genetic information for a protein that our bodies use called pyrin. Pyrin is a protein that is responsible for regulating inflammatory processes in our body, and thus when this genetic coding is affected, inflammatory responses will occur in the body. With Mediterranean Disease, inflammatory responses are the leading cause of symptoms and pain and thus the pyrin protein and its mutations are the direct cause of this pain.
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