Title:The Role of Colchicine in the Treatment of Autoinflammatory Diseases
Volume: 24
Issue: 6
Author(s): Georgia Liantinioti, Antonios A. Argyris*, Athanase D. Protogerou and Panayiotis Vlachoyiannopoulos
Affiliation:
- Cardiovascular Prevention & Research Unit, Department of Pathophysiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens,Greece
Keywords:
Colchicine, autoinflammatory diseases, acute gout flares, Behcet's disease, pharyngitis, familial Mediterranean fever.
Abstract: Colchicine has been longstanding and widely used for the treatment of acute gout flares and prevention
of gout relapses. Its use has been extended to a series of autoinflammatory diseases, such as familial Mediterranean
fever and more recently to periodic fever with aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis, Behcet’s disease
and idiopathic recurrent acute pericarditis. In this review, we summarize current indications of colchicine
use, discuss its pharmacokinetics and mechanism of action and examine its use in the treatment of autoinflammatory
diseases. Further understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the latter conditions as well as identification
of the therapeutic efficacy and treatment target of colchicine may lead to more effective management of these
diseases.
