The Levels of Von Willebrand Factor in Adult Patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever and it is Relationship with Platelet Activation

Objective: Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent inflammatory febrile attacks of serosal and synovial membranes. Recently few studies have shown that FMF is associated with increased atherosclerosis risk. Therefore, this study was designed to answers the following questions: A) do von Willebrand factor (vWf )a marker of endothelial damage / dysfunctionlevels change in adult FMF patients and B) is there any relationship between vWf and mean platelet volume (MPV)a determinant of platelet activationlevels? Materials and Methods: This study was performed in January 2008. We selected 35 patients with FMF and 35 healthy control subjects matched for age, gender, and body mass index. We measured levels of vWf and MPV in all study population. Results: The level of vWf was significantly higher in the FMF group than in the control group (p=0.001). Also, vWf level was positively correlated with MPV level in FMF group (r=0.694, p=0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that (i) adult patients with FMF tend to have relatively endothelial dysfunction, and (ii) vWf seem to be related to platelet volume in patients with FMF.