title: Assessment of aortic wall stiffness in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Gazi University School of Medicine, Beşevler 06500, Ankara, Turkey. yusuftavil@gmail.com
authors: Yusuf
authors: Y
authors: Tavil
authors: Mehmet Akif
authors: MA
authors: Oztürk
authors: Kemal
authors: K
authors: Ureten
authors: Nihat
authors: N
authors: Sen
authors: Mehmet Güngör
authors: MG
authors: Kaya
authors: Mustafa
authors: M
authors: Cemri
authors: Atiye
authors: A
authors: Cengel
mesh_terms: 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