NEUROLOGIC MANIFESTATIONS IN FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER

Neurologic involvement in children with familial Mediterranean fever is relatively uncommon and rarely described in the pediatric literature. Although headaches occur frequently, meningitis and convulsions are rare. Thirteen of 101 children with familial Mediterranean fever developed neurologic manifestations. Of these 13 patients, 10 had headaches during acute episodes of the fever. Two patients had convulsions with fever before the age of 5 years; the convulsions and acute episodes recurred at ages 9 and 10 years. Another patient had two episodes of aseptic meningitis followed by convulsive disorder before the diagnosis of familial Mediterranean fever was made; his convulsions were resistant to antiepileptic drugs alone and subsided only when colchicine was added. The possibility of neurologic involvement should be considered in patients with familial Mediterranean fever.