title: Criteria for the diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish a new set of criteria for the diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven features and manifestations typical of FMF were studied to determine their prevalence in 105 patients with FMF and 106 controls. Diagnosis of FMF in the study group was based on clinical judgment. Controls were patients with a variety of other diseases who presented to the emergency room or outpatient clinics with recurrent episodes of pain in body sites usually involved in FMF attacks. Manifestations observed to be significantly more common in FMF patients than in controls were incorporated into the rule proposed for diagnosis of FMF, based on a model of major, minor, and supportive criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two sets of diagnostic criteria were established. A conservative criteria set for diagnosis of FMF was based on the presence of 1 major or 2 minor criteria, or 1 minor plus 5 supportive criteria, and a simple criteria set for diagnosis of FMF required 1 major or 2 minor criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of these 2 criteria sets were >95% and >97%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed new sets of criteria were highly sensitive and specific, and could be used to readily diagnose FMF and to distinguish FMF from other periodic febrile diseases.
authors.affiliation: Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Livneh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Langevitz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zemer
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zaks
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kees
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lidar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Migdal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Padeh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pras
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003663:Decision Trees; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity