Behçet's disease was first described by a Turkish doctor in 1937. A specialist in Skin and Venereal Diseases Dr. Hulusi Behçet has reported this disease to the whole world with his triple and repetitive wounds in the mouth and at the sexual area (medically ulcer or aphthous) and trilateral signs of inflammation (uveitis). Subsequent studies have shown that Behçet's disease is a disease that can affect many systems with various signs and symptoms.
In which parts of the world Behçet's disease occurs? What is the incidence in our country?
Although seen in almost all the world, Behcet's disease, Turkey, Israel, Greece and Mediterranean countries such as Cyprus, Iraq and Iran, the Middle East countries and Japan, Korea, is seen more often than in other countries in the Far East countries such as China. The fact that the disease is mentioned more frequently in the above mentioned and historical olabil Silk Road görül in these countries indicates that genetic and / or environmental factors may be effective in its development. Historic "Silk Road" place of Behcet's disease is most commonly seen on the country of Turkey. Five different studies conducted in different regions of our country reported that the incidence of the disease was between 20 and 421 in 100,000 adults.
In which sex is Behçet's disease more common?
Behcet's disease is seen in approximately equal ratio in men and women. However, significant system involvement, especially eye and vascular involvement, occurs more frequently in young male patients.
What age does Behçet's disease occur?
Behçet's disease most frequently starts between the ages of 20 and 40 years. However, Behçet's disease may develop in children and older people, with less frequency.
What are the causes of Behçet's disease?
The cause of the disease is unknown. It is thought that genetic and some environmental factors (such as bacteria and viruses) can be effective in immune system changes.
Is Behcet's disease a contagious disease?
It is not an infectious disease.
Is Behcet's disease hereditary?
Behçet's disease is not an inherited disease. However, there is a genetic predisposition for the disease. This means that the incidence of Behçet's disease in individuals with close blood ties is higher than in other individuals in the community. HLA-B51 tissue antigen can be detected in a significant number of patients. However, HLA B51 is a common tissue antigen in our population and should be remembered in healthy individuals in other aspects. Therefore, it is not suitable for the diagnosis of Behçet's disease alone.
What are the symptoms of Behçet's disease?
Behçet's disease is a disease that can affect many organs and therefore can lead to many symptoms. The most common symptoms are recurrent wounds in the mouth and sexual area, skin symptoms, eye and joint involvement.
Mouth sores (aft or oral ulcer); Painful and recurrent mouth sores are the most common symptoms of Behçet's disease. Oral wounds, which are extremely important in the diagnosis of the disease, are observed in almost all patients. Usually the lip and cheek mucosa are placed on the base of the mouth with the side and lower faces of the tongue. Mouth wounds, round or oval, bulging edges and surrounded by a red halo, the base becomes white, gray or yellow. Pain is the most important complaint. Occasionally they can cause feeding difficulties and difficulty speaking. In less than 1 cm and superficial wounds in 15 days, without a trace, while heals, large and deep wounds greater than 1 cm can recover and leave a trail for a longer time. The frequency of recurrence of oral wounds varies from patient to patient.
Behçet's disease is not the only disease in the mouth. Recurrent mouth sores called recurrent aphthous stomatitis can be seen in approximately 20% of the population. This is a condition that is seen only in healthy individuals and only with mouth sores without an underlying disease.
For this reason, no matter how often or severely apht is alone, it is not sufficient to diagnose Behçet's disease. In order to be diagnosed with Behçet's disease, it is necessary to find other clinical findings of the disease.
Sexual zone wounds (genital ulcer); Dr. Hulusi Behçet is one of the three symptoms identified by Hulusi Behçet. Sexual zone wounds are the second most common symptom of the disease after mouth sores. They are present in approximately 80-90% of patients. The appearance and course are similar to mouth sores. However, they are generally deeper and often heal by leaving a scar. They are less frequent than oral wounds. Sexual zone wounds cause difficulties in physical movements besides pain. The most common location in men is bags. In women, the most common location is lips. Sexual zone wounds are not contagious, as are other findings.
Skin findings; The disease shows a large variety of skin symptoms. Among these, erythema nodosum, papulopustular lesions and superficial thrombophlebitis are the most common.
• Erythema nodosum is a skin symptom seen in about 1/3 of the patients and is often found in female patients. It is most often located on the front face of the legs. It can be less frequently on the buttocks, arms or other parts of the body. Round or oval, painful, red color, ranging in size from hazelnut walnut symptoms. Erythema nodosum does not open and become wound. The symptoms usually heal in 2-3 weeks, leaving a dark spot with a temporary temporal feature.
• Papulopustular lesions are skin symptoms similar to pubic inflammation or adolescent acne. These symptoms, such as inflamed, inflamed, pimples, are usually located on the trunk, legs, arms and face.
• Superficial thrombophlebitis is another important skin sign. It is often characterized by red, delicate, streaked or striped stiffness along the affected vein in the legs and skin. It is more common in male patients.
Eye involvement; In Behçet's disease, ocular involvement occurs in about half of the patients. It causes complaints such as redness, blurred vision or loss of vision, flying, pain in the eyes and eyes. Eye complaints are more common in men and in the first years of the disease. It should be kept in mind that eye involvement can be severe in some patients and may even cause vision loss. Therefore, in the presence of the complaints outlined above, it is of great importance to consult a doctor without delay and to use the medicines regularly for treatment.