The Effect of Canakinumab Treatment on the Inflammatory Markers in Children with Colchicine-Resistant Familial Mediterranean Fever

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the reliability of novel markers of treatment response in children with familial Mediterranean fever receiving canakinumab treatment, as compared to conventional inflammatory indexes Methods: Clinical and laboratory data for 19 colchicine-resistant Familial Mediterranean Fever patients treated with canakinumab were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with systemic diseases other than familial Mediterranean fever and familial Mediterranean fever related complications were excluded from the study. Results: Following canakinumab treatment there was a non-significant decrease in the neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.523) and a significant decrease in the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.003). There wasn no significant difference in mean platelet volume before and after canakinumab treatment (P = 0.762). Conclusions: The present findings indicate that the platelet/lymphocyte ratio could be considered a more reliable marker than the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio of response to canakinumab therapy in patients with colchicine-resistant familial Mediterranean fever.