PReS-FINAL-2205: Vascular risk assesment and MMP-3 gene in FMF

Introduction The patients characterized with chronic subclinical inflammation even during attack-free periods, are now considered to have an increased risk of atherosclerotic complications as well as other autoinflammatory disease. Damage to the arterial wall due to atherosclerosis causes increased arterial stiffness. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), a noninvasive measure of arterial stiffness, is accepted to be an indicator of subclinical atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular disease included various risk markers; blood biomarkers and genetic markers. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are closely related proteinases that together are able to degrade all macromolecules of the extracellular matrix. MMPs are potentially implicated in atherogenesis, progression of atherosclerosis. The gene encoding MMP-3 is polymorphic and an insertion (6A)/deletion (5A) polymorphism (5A/6A polymorphism) in the MMP-3 gene may have functional significance in the regulation of its expression. The 5A allele was associated with higher and the 6A allele with lower transcriptional activity. Up to date, the 6A/6A and 5A/6A genotypes were associated with coronary artery disease and carotid atherosclerosis in adults.