Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2002 Jul-Aug;20(4 Suppl 26):S43-4.
Successful treatment of familial Mediterranean fever attacks with thalidomide in a colchicine resistant patient.

Seyahi E, Ozdogan H, Masatlioglu S, Yazici H.

Department of Rheumatology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Turkey.

Colchicine is the treatment of choice in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) both for attacks and for prevention of secondary amyloidosis. The overall non-responder rate varies from 5-10 to 40%. Thalidomide is known to blunt the acute phase response. We report the efficacy of the addition of thalidomide to colchicine in controlling the febrile attacks and acute phase response in a patient with FMF resistant to 2 mg colchicine per day.


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Mutagenesis. 1999 Mar;14(2):173-9.
Detection of aneuploidy by multicolor FISH in mouse sperm after in vivo treatment with acrylamide, colchicine, diazepam or thiabendazole.

Schmid TE, Xu W, Adler ID.

Institut fur Saugetiergenetik, GSF-Forschungszentrum fur Umwelt, Neuherberg, Germany.

Multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to investigate the induction of aneuploidy during meiosis in young adult male mice treated with chemicals chosen for the EU sponsored aneuploidy project (acrylamide, colchicine, diazepam and thiabendazole). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of aneuploid sperm induced by each of these chemicals by sperm FISH. Male (102/ElxC3H/El)F1 mice were treated with acrylamide (120 and 60 mg/kg single dose i.p.), colchicine (1.5 and 3 mg/kg single dose, i.p.), diazepam (300, 150 and 75 mg/kg single dose by oral intubation) or thiabendazole (100 and 300 mg/kg daily for 11 days by oral intubation). At 22 days after the last treatment, sperm were collected from the cauda epididymis. Three chromosome FISH was applied to determine hyperhaploid and diploid sperm with DNA probes specific for the chromosomes X, Y and 8. Five animals were treated per dose group and sperm aneuploidy was evaluated in 10,000 sperm per animal. We found significant increases in the frequency of total hyperhaploidy for the males treated with 3.0 mg/kg colchicine (0.092 versus 0.056%, P < 0.05) and with 1.5 mg/kg colchicine (0.082 versus 0.050%, P < 0.05), as well for the males treated with 300 mg/kg diazepam (0.081 versus 0.050%, P < 0.05), indicating that colchicine and diazepam each induced germ cell aneuploidy. We also found significant increases in the frequency of total diploidy for the males treated with 300 mg/kg diazepam (P < 0.05) and with 300 mg/kg thiabendazole (P < 0.05). No significant effects were found for 120 and 60 mg/kg acrylamide or for the other doses of diazepam and thiabendazole. These first results indicate that the multicolor FISH method is useful to determine aneuploidy induction in sperm of mice.


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Ann Pharmacother. 2002 Nov;36(11):1719-21.
Rhabdomyolysis associated with gemfibrozil-colchicine therapy.

Atmaca H, Sayarlioglu H, Kulah E, Demircan N, Akpolat T.

Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Zonguldak, Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of rhabdomyolysis possibly due to combination therapy with colchicine and gemfibrozil. CASE SUMMARY: A 40-year-old man with amyloidosis and hepatitis B virus-related chronic liver disease was admitted to the university hospital because of fatigue, lack of appetite, dark brownish urine, and myalgia for 2 weeks. The patient was receiving colchicine and gemfibrozil. Elevations of serum creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase concentrations with myalgia were compatible with the diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, myopathy and rhabdomyolysis due to a combination of colchicine and gemfibrozil therapy have not been previously reported. Preexisting mild renal failure, hepatitis B-related chronic liver disease, and amyloidosis may be contributing risk factors for the development of rhabdomyolysis in this patient. An objective causality assessment revealed that the adverse drug event was possible. CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving combination therapy with colchicine and gemfibrozil, especially those with renal and hepatic dysfunction, should be monitored for rhabdomyolysis, and concomitant colchicine and gemfibrozil therapy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis.


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Nephron. 2002 Dec;92(4):922-4.
Colchicine-induced myopathy with normal creatine phosphokinase level in a renal transplant patient.

Caglar K, Safali M, Yavuz I, Odabasi Z, Yenicesu M, Vural A.

Department of Nephrology, Gulhane Medical School, Ankara, Turkey. kcaglaata.edu.tr

A case of a renal transplant recipient with colchicine-induced myopathy is presented. He was on colchicine therapy for 10 months. He was hospitalized for investigation of fatigue, severe myalgia in the lower extremities and elevated serum aminotransferase levels. His viral markers and other factors that may cause myalgia and that may increase the serum aminotransferase levels were either normal or negative. Creatine phosphokinase (CK) levels were normal. Electrophysiological findings indicated myopathy and muscle biopsy was consistent with vacuolar myopathy. After withdrawal of colchicine, the symptoms disappeared gradually and serum aminotransferase levels were normalized. We suggest that colchicine myopathy should be taken into account in patients who have been on colchicine therapy and had unexplained myalgia as well as elevated aminotransferase levels even with normal CK levels. 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel


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