Familial paroxysmal polyserositis; Periodic peritonitis; Recurrent polyserositis; Benign paroxysmal peritonitis; Periodic disease; Periodic fever; FMF

Symptoms usually begin ages 5 and 15. Inflammation in the lining of the abdominal cavity, chest cavity, skin, or joints occurs, along with high fevers that usually peak in 12 to 24 hours. Attacks may vary in severity of symptoms. Patients are usually symptom-free between attacks.

Symptoms may include repeated episoders of:

• Abdominal pain
• Chest pain that is sharp and gets worse when taking a breath
• Fever or alternating chills and fever
• joint pain
• Skin lesions that are red and swollen and range from 5 - 20 cm in diameter

There is no specific test to diagnose this disease. If genetic testing shows you have the mutation known to be associated with this condition, and your symptoms match a typical pattern, the diagnosis is nearly certain. Ruling out other possible diseases using laboratory tests or x-rays will help determine the diagnosis.

Certain blood tests may be higher than normal when done during an attack. Tests may include:

• Complete blood count (CBC)
• C-reactive protein
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• White blood cell count

Images

Temperature measurement

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Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)