Acute hepatitis in a patient with familial Mediterranean fever

Abstract

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a hereditary syndrome characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and serositis. In this report, we describe a Japanese patient with FMF and Sjögren's syndrome, in whom acute elevations of transaminase occurred. The histological findings from the liver biopsy specimens demonstrated a nonspecific hepatitis, with liver cell necrosis and interlobular inflammatory cell invasion, without the presence of interface hepatitis or bile duct injury. This case underscores the possibility that MEFV mutations contribute to hepatic inflammation, as seen in this case, by way of an alteration of the pyrin function.