Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Comprehensive Review of Pathogenesis, Genetics, and Epigenetic Regulation [2026]
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12758588
the bad news:
"Patients carrying identical MEFV variants, particularly those with low penetrance, may exhibit a wide spectrum of disease courses, ranging from subclinical carriers to severe, colchicine-resistant FMF."
the good news:
"For decades, researchers have sought to explain the high carrier frequency of FMF-associated variants among Mediterranean populations, interpreting it as a possible outcome of selective advantage against a historical disease. Y. pestis, the plague-causing bacterium, has emerged as a plausible driver of positive selection in FMF carriers ..."
#genetics #rheumatology #immunology #plague #InfectiousDiseases #FamilialMediterraneanFever #MEFV #FMF