Genetics

Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) was first known as periodic disease or recurrent polyserositis. It was described by Janeway and Mosenthal in 1908 [1]. Heller gave this disease its definitive appellation in 1955 [2]. All these names refer to the key symptoms of this disease: recurrent fever with polyserositis (although this is not specific to FMF). The “Mediterranean” adjective is more relevant, since the prevalence is higher in the countries around this sea [3]. For example, in the non-Ashkenazi Jews, the prevalence ranges from 1/250 to 1/500 [4] and in Turks, from 1/1,073 to 1/395 [5].