Assessment of aortic wall stiffness in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever.
BACKGROUND
To evaluate aortic wall stiffness and its relation between the aortic stiffness and the left ventricular function in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF).


METHODS
The study population was composed of 31 patients with FMF in attack-free period (12 men, 19 women; mean age: 36+/-7 years) and 27 healthy subjects (10 men, 17 women; mean age: 34+/-7 years) who had volunteered to participate. Aortic stiffness indices, aortic strain and distensibility, were calculated from the aortic diameters measured by echocardiography and blood pressure obtained by sphygmomanometry.


RESULTS
There were significant differences between the control and the patient group in aortic strain (mean (SD), 7.23+/-2.14 versus 4.91+/-1.66%, p=0.01) and distensibility (4.02+/-1.42 versus 2.84+/-1.46, 10(-6)cm(2)dyn(-1), p=0.001). Although there was no correlation between the aortic stiffness parameters and the left ventricular function parameters, there were significant negative correlations between the disease duration and aortic strain index (r=-0.29, p<0.001), and between the disease duration and distensibility (r=-0.32, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Aortic stiffness measurements were found abnormal in patients with FMF. We have also demonstrated that there were significant correlations between aortic stiffness parameters and disease duration.
Tavil
Yusuf
Y
Department of Cardiology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Beşevler 06500, Ankara, Turkey. yusuftavil@gmail.com
Oztürk
Mehmet Akif
MA
Ureten
Kemal
K
Sen
Nihat
N
Kaya
Mehmet Güngör
MG
Cemri
Mustafa
M
Cengel
Atiye
A
D000328:Adult; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left