Chronic colchicine treatment does not impair glucose tolerance in familial Mediterranean fever patients

Abstract

Objective: To investigate a long-term colchicine treatment in inhibiting normal release of insulin, in response to a glucose load.

Setting: The Heller Institute of Medical Research, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer.

Patients: Thirty-one familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients, treated continuously with colchicine (1.0–2.0 mg · day^–1) for 2–13 years.

Methods: A standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed to study the effect of long-term colchicine treatment on glucose-induced insulin response. An intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was then performed on randomly chosen FMF patients (n = 9) and age-matched controls (n = 5). Glucose was administered 30 min after intravenous colchicine (2 mg) infusion. The sum of 1st- and 3rd-min insulin levels served as an index of early-phase insulin release.

Results: Based on the Office Guide to Diagnosis of Glucose Intolerance [13], one subject exhibited impaired glucose tolerance and two others had abnormal dynamics of glucose during the test but normal values at 120 min. Insulin values were normal in all participants. No significant differences were found in maximal glucose and insulin concentration, nor in the insulin release index between FMF colchicine-treated and healthy controls.

Conclusions: Based on these findings, no impairment in glucose dynamics could be demonstrated in chronically colchicine treated patients, compared to untreated controls.