[Familial Mediterranean fever and fatty liver. effect of a long time colchicine treatment on triglyceride storage (author's transl)].

A 35-year-old man, sephardic jew, complains for the last eleven years of typical and frequent attacks of FMF. His liver is hypertrophic. Needle-biopsy reveals an extensive macrovacuolar triglyceride storage (60 per cent) and an active vascular congestion with erythrodiapedesis in the mild and centrolobular zone, without any necrosis, cellular infiltration nor fibrosis. Electron microscopy shows lipofuschin deposits and mild lesions of mitochondrias, endoplasmic reticulum. Blood triglycerides and apo B are rather low. After six weeks of colchicine treatment, needle biopsy shows no more active congestion nor erythrodiapedesis. Triglyceride storage lowers to 40 per cent. After seven months of colchicine treatment, triglyceride storage falls down to 12 per cent. FMF may be considered as a cause of fatty liver when there is not any cause else and only after deep decrease or disparition of triglyceride deposit by a long time colchicine treatment.