Prevalence of Mediterranean FeVer Gene Mutations in Turkish Cypriot Population
Nilüfer GALİP1, Ceyhun DALKAN1, Ayşe TERALI1, Nazan ÇOBANOĞLU2, Ayfer ÜLGENALP3, Nerin BAHÇECİLER1, Salih KAVUKÇU4
1Department of Pediatrics, Near East University Faculty of Medicine, Lefkoşa, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
2Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Medical Faculty of Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
3Department of Medical Genetics, Medical Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey
4Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology, Medical Faculty of Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey
Keywords: Cyprus; Familial Mediterranean fever; Mediterranean FeVer gene; mutations
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to determine the carrier frequency and the most common mutations of the Mediterranean FeVer (MEFV) gene in healthy Cypriot population of Turkish origin.
Patients and methods: A total of 296 healthy participants (102 males, 194 females; median age 30 years; range 1 to 81 years) were evaluated. The exon 2, 3, 5 and 10 of MEFV genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction.
Results: The participants demonstrated an extremely high carrier rate (12.5%). Most commonly detected mutations were E148Q and A74S, with rates of 7.3% and 2.8%, respectively.
Conclusion: Mediterranean FeVer gene mutation types and carrier rates in Turkish Cypriot population are different than other Mediterranean populations in the region. MEFV mutation carriage is frequent in North Cyprus and familial Mediterranean fever might be one of the causes for end stage renal disease in Turkish Cypriots.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.