Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a systemic autoinflammatory disease marked by recurrent fever and serous inflammation. The link between FMF and the likelihood of cardiac arrhythmia is being debated; some studies show aberrant cardiac repolarization, while others do not. Given this debate, we want to do a total cosine R to T (TCRT) study in a large cohort of FMF patients, a hitherto unknown repolarization marker in this disease. The research group included 56 FMF patients without amyloidosis who were diagnosed with FMF using established criteria and 131 control participants who were not afflicted by FMF. A 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) was conducted in accordance with stringent guidelines. A Python-based computer programme was used to process electrocardiogram files. Patients were followed for 10 to 12 years to assess the rate of heart problems. Aside from FMF and colchicine prescriptions, both groups had identical medical and demographic backgrounds. In FMF patients and normal participants, TCRT findings were equivalent for a randomly picked beat and an averaged beat. Correction of average TCRT for heart rate resulted in TCRTc values that were comparable in both the patient and control groups. During the follow-up period, no patients died, and none developed clinical signs indicative of ventricular arrhythmias.
Uncomplicated FMF patients treated with colchicine had normal TCRT and TCRTc levels, indicating a reduced risk of cardiac arrhythmias in this population. Future research should look at the sensitivity and specificity of this marker in high-risk FMF groups, such as individuals with AA amyloidosis.
