Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences
Abstract
Background/aim: Anti-interleukin-1 agents have known beneficial effects in the treatment of colchicine-resistant familial Mediterranean fever (cr-FMF); however, studies to date have tended to have small sample sizes and to be based on pooled data. The present study investigates the efficacy of Canakinumab (CAN) in a homogeneous cohort of cr-FMF cases.
Materials and methods: The study included patients who underwent treatment in three tertiary rheumatology departments, whose electronic medical records were reviewed retrospectively. The inclusion criteria were presence of colchicine resistant disease activity or persistent proteinuria secondary to AA-amyloidosis, and treatment with CAN for at least 6 months. Clinical and laboratory parameters were assessed before and after CAN treatment.
Results: The study included 65 patients with a mean age of 38.2 ± 13.8 years, with a mean disease duration of 23.7 ± 11.4 years and a mean colchicine dosage of 1.5 ± 0.6 mg/day. Of the total, 60% of the patients had an M694V homozygous mutation, and 41.5% were resistant to Anakinra. Furthermore, 25 had FMF-related amyloidosis, and 16 were renal transplant recipients. The mean CAN treatment duration was 31.3 ± 23.1 months, and 80% of patients achieved complete remission, while 20% achieved partial remission. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, frequency of attacks, and patient global assessment decreased significantly after CAN (p < 0.001 for each). The mean serum creatinine level (mg/dl) decreased from 2.1 ± 0.8 to 1.4 ± 0.8 (p < 0.001), and median proteinuria (mg/day) decreased from 1475 to 675 (p < 0.001) in patients with AA-amyloidosis. Only one patient with chronic monoarthritis affecting the wrist discontinued CAN due to insufficient arthritis relief.
Conclusion: Canakinumab demonstrates excellent efficacy and favorable safety as a treatment for cr-FMF. Our study is the first to indicate the efficacy of CAN in reducing serum creatinine levels.
Author ORCID Identifier
EMRAH KOÇ: 0000-0002-7889-3051
METE PEKDİKER: 0000-0003-3089-1564
METE KARA: 0000-0003-4690-610X
DOI
10.55730/1300-0144.6133
Keywords
Amyloidosis, creatinine, familial Mediterranean fever, interleukin-1 antagonist, proteinuria
First Page
15
Last Page
22
Publisher
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
KOÇ, E, PEKDİKER, M, & KARA, M (2026). Canakinumab treatment in patients with colchicine-resistant familial mediterranean fever: a multicenter observational study. Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences 56 (1): 15-22. https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-0144.6133