Colchicine–clarithromycin-induced rhabdomyolysis in Familial Mediterranean Fever patients under treatment for Helicobacter pylori

Chronic administration of colchicine remains a mainstay of therapy for patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). As this medication is a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor, it has the potential to interact with many routinely used medications. One such medication is clarithromycin, itself a strong inhibitor of the same enzyme, and a typical choice for triple therapy eradication of H. pylori. Various sequelae of colchicine–clarithromycin interaction have been documented and can be expected by prescribing physicians, with rhabdomyolysis, though rare, being among the most serious. Review of cases from a tertiary academic medical center and full PubMed/MEDLINE literature review. Despite the prevalence of diseases treated with clarithromycin and the expected drug interaction with colchicine, only two cases in the literature document clinical rhabdomyolysis due to colchicine–clarithromycin interaction. In neither case, however, were patients undergoing treatment for FMF. Herein, we describe the first two cases in the literature of clinical rhabdomyolysis in FMF patients under colchicine therapy after administration of clarithromycin as part of therapy treating H. pylori infection.