What do you know about Behçet's disease?

 Behçet's disease is a rare, non-communicable autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of blood vessels, causing frequent sores in the mouth or genitals, and eye and skin problems.

In our article, we will learn about Behçet's syndrome, its symptoms, causes, how to diagnose and treat it, and is it contagious or dangerous?

Behçet's Syndrome

• Scientifically known as Behçet's disease, it is a rare autoimmune disease that occurs in the twenties or thirties and is usually more severe in men, young adults, and people from the Middle East or Asia.
• An autoimmune disease is caused by a problem with your immune system causing it to attack your body.
• The disease may cause problems in the mouth and genital area due to inflammation of the blood vessels, as well as problems in the eyes and all over the body.
• The disease causes blood vessels to swell and inflame, limiting blood flow to vital organs and tissues. 
• The disease is named after the Turkish dermatologist Dr. Hulusi Behçet, who first described it in the 1930s.

Causes of Behçet's disease 

Many factors may interfere with the onset of the disease, including:

• changes in genes 
• Problems with the immune response
• to environmental factors

Risk factors for increased infection include:

• Those who live in parts of the world where this disease is more common.
• Age 20-40 years old.
• Those with certain genes (since HLA-B5 or HLA-B51 is present in some patients).
• Men are more likely to contract this disease than women.

What are the symptoms of Behçet's disease?

Symptoms may last for a long time, or they may disappear within a few weeks in most cases and symptoms will be active in what is known as an outbreak.

Symptoms also vary according to the affected blood vessels and may range from mild to severe, including ulcers in:

• Oral: is often the first symptom and can be painful and make it difficult to eat.
• Genitals: They appear on the vulva in women or on the scrotum in men and are very painful.
• Skin: They look like red or bumpy bumps and appear on the legs or upper torso.
• Arthritis: Causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows. Arthritis lasts a few weeks and does not cause permanent joint damage.
• Eye problems: the disease causes blurred vision, pain, redness, double vision, or blindness.

Some uncommon symptoms include:

• fever and tiredness;
• Blood clots in the leg veins (thrombophlebitis).
• Inflammation of the brain or meninges (encephalitis or meningitis).
• Aneurysm or weakness in various blood vessels.
• Ulcers in the digestive system cause bleeding, abdominal pain, or diarrhea.
• Kidney disease.
• Problems with the lungs, urinary system, erection, or inner ear.

Diagnosis

Behçet's syndrome is diagnosed based on your health history, symptoms, and physical exam.

The disease can be difficult to diagnose because some of its symptoms are similar to other diseases.

No single test confirms the diagnosis, so it may take a while for your doctor to diagnose it. 

Certain tests may help diagnose Behçet's disease, such as:

• Skin prick test, usually positive in people with Behçet's disease.
• Blood tests to look for infection.
• Skin biopsy to see if the sores are caused by other diseases.
• Imaging tests such as x-rays and scans.

Behçet's disease treatment 

There is no cure for the disease at all. The treatment is aimed at improving symptoms only and may include:

• Anesthetic cream to prevent pain from sores.
• Topical steroid creams to reduce the pain and inflammation of sores.
• Oral steroid medications. To reduce inflammation and other symptoms. 
• Over a longer period, immunosuppressants include colchicine, azathioprine, cyclosporine, and etanercept.
• Other treatments as needed, such as an anticoagulant.

Complications of Behçet's Syndrome 

One possible complication of Behçet's disease is:

• blindness.
• Inflammation of the brain and meninges. 
• Clogged blood vessels can lead to problems anywhere in the body.

Tips for Behçet's patient

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important to help improve symptoms of the disease by:

• Get enough rest.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Doing exercise.

Is Behçet's disease serious?

Death occurs in about 5% of patients and the causes of death are often intestinal perforation, strokes, and rupture of enlarged and weak blood vessels.

When do you consult a doctor?

Call your doctor at once if you have any of the following:

• Sudden severe symptoms, such as a stiff neck and headache, maybe meningitis.
• eye problems;
• Signs of a flare-up.
• Behçet's illness and marriage

Behçet's disease is a chronic, non-communicable disease that may go away and reappear, but most sufferers can live a full life.