Behcet's Disease - An Overview

Behçet's disease is an autoimmune disease because the immune system attacks the blood vessels, causing inflammation. Behçet's is a lifelong condition with flare-ups and rest periods. This disease is common in the Middle East, Japan and Asia, where it affects more men than women. It is rare; only about five in 100,000 people have Behçet's disease, in the United States, Canada and Europe. In these countries, Behçet's disease affects more women than men. Behçet's is usually diagnosed in the 20s or 30s, but can be diagnosed at any age. This disease is not contagious; you cannot get it by caring for someone who does have it while he or she is suffering from a flare-up.

The primary symptoms of Behçet's disease are mouth and genital sores, eye inflammation and skin problems. The mouth sores appear similar to cold sores and usually go away on their own within two weeks. The genital sores have a similar appearance to the mouth sores; they usually have a red border and may be painful. Both types of sores may scar, especially the larger ones. The eye inflammation usually affects the middle or back part of the eye, including the iris. This usually causes blurred vision and in rare cases, pain and redness. If the eye frequently becomes inflamed, blindness can occur. The skin problems associated with Behçet's may be as simple as an outbreak similar to acne or as bad as pus-filled bumps or bruises. These usually occur on the upper torso/chest area or the legs. Behçet's can also cause stroke, meningitis and inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The stroke and meningitis are caused by the membrane covering the brain or the spinal cord becoming inflamed. Another secondary symptom of Behçet's is joint inflammation, similar to arthritis.

Receiving a diagnosis of Behçet's is often a long and difficult process. First, you must have mouth sores at least three times in the past twelve months and you also must have at least two of the other primary symptoms. These symptoms don't have to occur together, however. Other possible causes for these symptoms, such as genital herpes causing the genital sores or an active infection causing the eye inflammation, must be ruled out before getting diagnosed with Behçet's disease. There is a skin-prick test for Behçet's disease, but it is less than 50% effective. Many United States sufferers do not test positive for Behçet's disease, even during a flare-up.

The usual treatment course for Behçet's disease is rest, medication, exercise and an overall healthy lifestyle. Rest is very important during flare-ups because the immune system is in overdrive, which can cause extreme fatigue. Medication is used to control the inflammation and to relieve the pain and discomfort associated with the mouth or genital sores. Some people benefit from taking immunosuppressive medications to help control the number of flare-ups they have. Exercise is helpful because, if you have joint inflammation, it will help reduce joint damage and pain. Exercise is also a good treatment because it promotes a healthy lifestyle.

Many Behçet's sufferers have more than one doctor. Since Behçet's affects so many body systems, people see specialists to treat each specific body system. There is often one doctor that coordinates all medications and monitors the person for adverse side effects or drug interactions. This doctor is usually a rheumatologist, because they specialize in inflammatory diseases. The other specialists you may see are a gynecologist or urologist (depending on your gender) for the genital sores, a dermatologist for the other skin sores, an ophthalmologist for eye inflammation, a gastroenterologist for any stomach/intestinal problems that may develop, a hematologist if you develop any blood disorders and a neurologist for any central nervous system problems that may occur.