Autoimmune/Rheumatic

Behçet's Disease

Behçet's disease is a rare disorder that causes blood vessel inflammation throughout the body. This can lead to numerous signs and symptoms that can seem unrelated at first. The disease can cause mouth sores, eye inflammation, skin rashes, and lesions, and genital sores. It is also known as Behçet's syndrome or Silk Road disease.

7

Symptoms

4

Causes

5

Treatments

1

Prevention

Condition Overview

Understand key symptoms, causes, diagnosis options, and treatment pathways for Behçet's Disease. This overview is intended for patient awareness and should be followed by specialist consultation.

AutoimmuneRheumaticPrevalence Available

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Symptoms

  • Mouth sores (canker sores)
  • Skin lesions
  • Genital sores
  • Eye inflammation (uveitis)
  • Joint pain and swelling
  • Blood clots
  • CNS symptoms (headache, dizziness)

Causes

  • Exact cause unknown
  • Autoimmune component
  • Genetic factors (HLA-B51)
  • Possible infectious triggers

Diagnosis

  • No definitive test
  • Diagnosis based on clinical criteria
  • Pathergy test
  • HLA-B51 testing

Treatment

  • Corticosteroids
  • Colchicine
  • Immunosuppressants (azathioprine, cyclosporine)
  • Thalidomide
  • Biologic agents (anti-TNF, interferon alpha)

Risk Factors

  • Age 20-30 years
  • Geographic background (Middle East, Asia)
  • HLA-B51 gene
  • Male sex

Prevention

  • No known prevention

Prevalence

Rare in Western countries; prevalence ranges from 1 per million in the UK to 420 per 100,000 in Turkey.