Background: Familial Mediterranean Fever is a common rheumatic disease characterized by episodes of abdominal pain and arthralgia [1]. Another significant complaint of patients is general fatigue, which leads to physical inactivity [2].

Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine fatigue and physical activity levels in patients diagnosed with Familial Mediterranean Fever and to investigate the relationship between them.

Methods: The study included 167 patients aged 18-67 years who were diagnosed with Familial Mediterranean Fever according to the Tel-Hashomer diagnostic criteria [3]. Fatigue level was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale, and physical activity level was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The patients were then categorized based on these measurements.

Results: The average age was found to be 32.83±10.13 years. 107 participants (64.1%) were female, and 60 participants (35.9%) were male. The mean score on the Fatigue Severity Scale was 4.23±1.95, while the total score on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was 2401.31±2315.34 MET-min/week. It was determined that 65.3% of the participants were fatigued, and 10.2% were chronically fatigued. According to physical activity levels, 47.3% were highly active, and 10.2% were inactive. When the relationship between physical activity and fatigue level was examined, no correlation was found between the two parameters (rs=-0.129, p=0.111).

Conclusion: When the findings of the study are examined, it was observed that although the majority of the patients experienced severe fatigue, their levels of participation in physical activity remained at a satisfactory level. We attribute this to their young age and the physical activity counseling they received in the clinic.

REFERENCES: [1] Ahmad T. Mapping of global research on familial Mediterranean fever: a SCI-Expanded-based bibliometric analysis. Rheumatol Int. 2022 Dec;42(12):2231-2239. doi: 10.1007/s00296-022-05179-0. Epub 2022 Aug 3. PMID: 35920892.

[2] Duruoz MT, Unal C, Bingul DK, Ulutatar F. Fatigue in familial Mediterranean fever and its relations with other clinical parameters. Rheumatol Int. 2018 Jan;38(1):75-81. doi: 10.1007/s00296-017-3882-3. Epub 2017 Nov 14. PMID: 29138905.

[3] Bashardoust B. Familial Mediterranean fever; diagnosis, treatment, and complications. J Nephropharmacol. 2015 Jan 1;4(1):5-8. PMID: 28197466; PMCID: PMC5297479.

Acknowledgements: NIL.

Disclosure of Interests: None declared.

© The Authors 2025. This abstract is an open access article published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ). Neither EULAR nor the publisher make any representation as to the accuracy of the content. The authors are solely responsible for the content in their abstract including accuracy of the facts, statements, results, conclusion, citing resources etc.