title: Assessment of epicardial adipose tissue thickness and the mean platelet volume in children with familial Mediterranean fever.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an inflammatory disease, which is suggested to be associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) thickness and the mean platelet volume (MPV) are parameters used in prediction of atherosclerotic risk in various conditions. These parameters were evaluated in children with FMF and compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five patients with FMF and 54 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were assessed. Duration of symptoms, age at diagnosis, duration of delay in diagnosis, frequency and duration of FMF attacks, disease severity scores, response to colchicine therapy, MEditerraneanFeVer (MEFV) gene mutations, and MPV values were recorded. EAT thicknesses were measured by echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epicardial adipose tissue thicknesses of the children with FMF were found to be significantly greater than that of controls (5.1 ± 1.4 vs. 4.5 ± 0.9 mm, p=0.036). FMF patients had significantly higher MPV values compared with the controls (7.8 ± 1.1 vs. 7.3 ± 1.4 fl, p=0.044). Age at diagnosis, duration of delay in diagnosis, and MPV values were found to be correlated with EAT thickness in the patient group (r=0.49, p=0.001 for the former parameters and r=0.32, p=0.04 for MPV).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epicardial adipose tissue thickness and MPV values seem to be increased in children with FMF. These findings may indicate an increased risk of atherosclerosis in FMF patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. ulucaunal@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ünal
authors.initials: Ü
authors.lastname: Uluca
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. fikridemir@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fikri
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. draydinece@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Aydın
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ece
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. drvelatsen@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Velat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Şen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. draligunes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Güneş
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. fesihaktar@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fesih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aktar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. ilhantan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: İlhan
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. durankarabel@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Duran
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karabel
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. umitcanyazgan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ümitcan
authors.initials: Ü
authors.lastname: Yazgan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. drmhmd@msn.com.
authors.forename: Muhammed Nurullah
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Sabaz
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D063847:Mean Platelet Volume; D010496:Pericardium / Q000473:pathology*