Association of Familial Mediterranean Fever-Related MEFV Variations With Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The article studies the association of common Mediterranean fever (MEFV) variations with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a group of Turkish patients. The study covered 193 patients with AS and 103 matched healthy control subjects genotyped with four MEFV variations and HLA-B27 using genomic DNA. Associations of the variations with the patients' clinical laboratory features are analyzed. The results showed familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)-related MEFV variations are associated with AS and may contribute to AS pathogenesis.