• Nimet Öner, Elif Çelikel, TekinZahide EkiciZE, Vildan Güngörer, Tuba Kurt, Müge Sezer, Nilüfer Tekgöz, Cüneyt Karagöl, Serkan Coşkun, Melike Mehveş Kaplan, Merve Cansu Polat, and AcarBanu ÇelikelBÇ.
• Nimet Öner, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Health Sciences, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, 06800-Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey, nimetpatat@gmail.com.
• Croat. Med. J. 2023 Oct 31; 64 (5): 354361354-361.

AimTo evaluate the treatment response to compressed colchicine tablets in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients with resistance or intolerance to coated colchicine. The secondary aim was to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of responders to compressed colchicine.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1574 pediatric patients with FMF treated at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital. Sixty-one patients did not respond to coated colchicine and were switched to compressed colchicine. In these patients, the number of attacks and the International Severity Score for FMF (ISSF) during the 6 months before and 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months after switching from coated colchicine to compressed colchicine were recorded.ResultsTwelve of 61 patients (19.7%) who were switched to compressed colchicine due to intolerance responded to treatment. Of the 49/61 patients (80.3%) who were switched due to uncontrolled attacks and persistent subclinical inflammation, 25 responded to treatment. The frequency of attacks and ISSF decreased after switching. At the end of the two-year follow-up, 42 patients responded to compressed colchicine, and 19 patients received compressed colchicine plus interleukin-1-targeting drugs.ConclusionsCompressed colchicine was shown to be a useful treatment option before initiating biological agents in non-responders to coated colchicine, especially those with side effects.

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