Evidence for circulating fibrin in familial Mediterranean fever.
Cryofibrinogenemia was found in 10 of 24 plasma samples (42%) from subjects with FMF. This precipitate was found during active disease as well as during intervals between crises. We found a higher incidence of cryofibrinogenemia in subjects with mild to moderately severe disease not being treated with colchicine (six of eight) as compared with colchicine-treated subjects who were in partial or complete clinical remission (four or 16; p less than 0.02). All cryofibrinogen precipitates contained fibrin, as assessed by electrophoretic analyses showing the presence of multimeric crosslinked forms of fibrin(ogen) linked by gamma-dimers. This finding in clinical specimens supports the hypothesis that fibrin in an obligatory component of cryofibrinogen. Fibrin was also found in HPF (two of six specimens) prepared from cryofibrinogen-negative FMF plasmas, thus showing that soluble forms of fibrin are even more prevalent in this disorder than is indicated by the frequent finding of cryofibrinogenemia.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003078:Colchicine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003450:Cryoglobulins / Q000097:blood; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005337:Fibrin / Q000097:blood*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000097:blood; D015241:Fibrinogens, Abnormal; D006801:Humans; D044469:Racial Groups
D003450:Cryoglobulins; D015241:Fibrinogens, Abnormal; C041874:cryofibrinogen; D005337:Fibrin; D005340:Fibrinogen; D003078:Colchicine