Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Clinical characteristics of Behçet’s disease in China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Rheumatology International Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To evaluate the prevalence of clinical findings in Behçet’s disease (BD) in Chinese population. The clinical data of 170 consecutive BD patients were, retrospectively, analyzed and compared with previous reports. The mean age at onset was 34.4 years (range 6–72) and the mean age of diagnosis was 39.1 years (range 8–72). Mean delay in diagnosis was 5.7 years. The male to female ratio was 1.3:1. Recurrent aphthous ulceration (64.7%), skin lesion (18.2%), and genital ulceration (8.2%) were the commonest onset-presentations of the disease. During the disease course, the commonest presenting features were oral ulcer (100%), cutaneous involvement (68.2%), genital ulcer (63.5%), arthritis (37.1%), and ocular lesion (14.1%). As for the minor clinical manifestations, gastrointestinal lesion (10.0%), vascular lesion (8.8%), and cardiac lesion (4.7%) occurred occasionally. The pathergy skin test showed positive in 63.5% of the patients and revealed a higher positive rate in the females (76.7%) than in the males (53.6%). Less ocular lesion and genital ulcer were present in Chinese BD patients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sakane T, Takeno M, Suzuki N, Inaba G (1999) Behçet’s disease. N Engl J Med 341:1284–1291

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Verity DH, Marr JE, Ohno S, Wallace GR, Stanford MR (1999) Behçet’s disease, the Silk Road and HLA-B51: historical and geographical perspectives. Tissue Antigens 54:213–220

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Yates PA, Michelson JB (2006) Behçet disease. Int Ophthalmol Clin 46:209–233

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Davies PG, Fordham JN, Kirwan JR, Barnes CG, Dinning WJ (1984) The pathergy test and Behçet’s syndrome in Britain. Ann Rheum Dis 43:70–73

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Muhaya M, Lightman S, Ikeda E, Mochizuki M, Shaer B, McCluskey P, Towler HM (2000) Behçet’s disease in Japan and in Great Britain: a comparative study. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 8:141–148

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Kaklamani VG, Vaiopoulos G, Kaklamanis PG (1998) Behçet’s disease. Semin Arthritis Rheum 27:197–217

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. International Study Group for Behçet’s disease (1990) Criteria for diagnosis of Behçet’s disease. Lancet 335:1078–1080

    Google Scholar 

  8. Gürler A, Boyvat A, Türsen U (1997) Clinical manifestations of Behçet’s disease: an analysis of 2147 patients. Yousei Med J 38:423–427

    Google Scholar 

  9. Zouboulis CC, Kötter I, Djawari D et al (1997) Epidemiological features of Adamantiades-Behçet’s disease in Germany and in Europe. Yonsei Med J 38:411–422

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bang D, Lee JH, Lee ES et al (2001) Epidemiologic and clinical survey of Behçet’s disease in Korea: the first multicenter study. J Korean Med Sci 16:615–618

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Hamdan A, Mansour W, Uthman I, Masri A, Nasr E, Arayssi T (2005) Behcet’s disease in Lebanon: clinical profile, severity and two-decade comparison. Clin Rheumatol 15:1–4

    Google Scholar 

  12. Alrawi Z, Sharquie KE, Khalifa SJ, Alhadithi FM (1986) Behcet’s disease in Iraqi patients. Ann Rheum Dis 45:987–990

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Al-Aboosi M, Al-Salem M, Saadeh A, Al-Jamal M, Hijawi M, Khammash M et al (1996) Behcet’s disease: clinical study of Jordanian patients. Int J Dermatol 35:623–625

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Al Dalaan AN, Al Balaa SR, El Ramahi K, Al-Kawi Z, Bohlega S, Bahabri S et al (1994) Behcet’s disease in Saudi Arabia. J Rheumatol 21:658–661

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. El Menyawi MM, Raslan HM, Edrees A (2009) Clinical features of Behcet’s disease in Egypt. Rheumatol Int 29:641–646

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. James DG (1990) Behçet’s disease. Br J Clin Pract 44:364–368

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Benamour S, Bennis R, Amraoui A (1991) A study of 285 cases of Behçet’s disease. In: O’Duffy JD, Kökmen E (eds) Behçet’s disease, basic and clinical aspects. Marcel Dekker Inc, New York, PA, pp 259–267

    Google Scholar 

  18. Dilşen N, Konie M, Aral O, Öcal L et al (1993) Risk factors in vital organ involvement in Behçet’s disease. In: Wechsler B, Godeau P (eds) Behçet’s disease. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, PA, pp 165–170

    Google Scholar 

  19. Gharibdoost F, Davatchi F, Shahram F (1993) Clinical manifestations of Behçet’s disease in Iran: analysis of 2176 cases. In: Wechsler B, Godeau P et al (eds) Behçet’s disease. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, PA, pp 153–158

    Google Scholar 

  20. Mangelsdorf HC, White WL, Jorizzo JL (1996) Behçet’s disease. Report of twenty-five patients from the United States with prominent mucocutaneous involvement. J Am Acad Dermatol 34:745–750

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Pande I, Uppal SS, Kailash S et al (1995) Behçet’s disease in India: a clinical, immunological, immunogenetic and outcome study. Br J Rheumatol 34:824–830

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Kitaichi N, Miyazaki A, Miles R, Stanford MR et al (2007) Ocular features of Behcet’s disease: an international collaborative study. Br J Ophthalmol 91:1579–1582

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Huang ZJ, Liao KH, Xu LY, Yang SM, Qiu BS, Zhang YT, Yang GL (1982) Study of 301 cases of Behçet’s disease. Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi 21:331–335 (in Chinese)

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Chang HK, Lee SS, Bai HJ et al (2004) Validation of the classification criteria commonly used in Korea and a modified set of preliminary criteria for Behçet’s disease: a multi-center study. Clin Exp Rheumatol 22:S21–S26

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Cho YJ, Kim WK, Lee JH, Byeon SH, Koh HJ, Kwon OW, Lee SC (2008) Visual prognosis and risk factors for Korean patients with Behcet uveitis. Ophthalmologica 222:344–350

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Tugal-Tutkun I, Onal S, Altan-Yaycioglu R, Huseyin Altunbas H, Urgancioglu M (2004) Uveitis in Behçet disease: an analysis of 880 patients. Am J Ophthalmol 138:373–380

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Ando K, Fujino Y, Hijikata K, Izawa Y, Masuda K (1999) Epidemiological features and visual prognosis of Behçet’s disease. Jpn J Ophthalmol 43:312–317

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Yoshida A, Kawashima H, Motoyama Y, Shibui H, Kaburaki T, Shimizu K, Ando K, Hijikata K, Izawa Y, Hayashi K, Numaga J, Fujino Y, Masuda K, Araie M (2004) Comparison of patients with Behçet’s disease in the 1980s and 1990s. Ophthalmology 111:810–815

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Kim HA, Choi KW, Song YW (1997) Arthropathy in Behçet’s disease. Scand J Rheumatol 26:125–129

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Choi IJ, Kim JS, Cha SD, Jung HC, Park JG, Song IS, Kim CY (2000) Long-term clinical course and prognostic factors in intestinal Behçet’s disease. Dis Colon Rectum 43:692–700

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Mori S, Tokutomi K, Kawamura H, Takeuchi A, Hashimoto T (1989) Diffuse ulcerative lesions in the colon with intestinal Behçet’s disease. Ryumachi 29:172–177 (in Japanese)

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Shimizu T, Inaba G (1976) Epidemiology of Behçet’s disease: status of Behçet’s disease in Japan. Ryumachi 16:224–233 (in Japanese)

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Yurdakul S, Tuzuner N, Yurdakul I et al (1996) Gastrointestinal involvement in Behçet’s syndrome: a controlled study. Ann Rheum Dis 55:208–210

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Chou SJ, Chen VT, Jan HC, Lou MA, Liu YM (2007) Intestinal perforations in Behçet’s disease. J Gastrointest Surg 11:508–514

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Atzeni F, Sarzi-Puttini P, Doria A, Boiardi L, Pipitone N, Savarani C (2005) Behcet’s disease and cardiovascular involvement. Lupus 14:723–726

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Lee I, Park S, Hwang I, Kim MJ, Nah SS, Yoo B, Song JK (2008) Cardiac Behçet disease presenting as aortic valvulitis/aortitis or right heart inflammatory mass: a clinicopathologic study of 12 cases. Am J Surg Pathol 32:390–398

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Uzun O, Akpolat T, Erkan L (2005) Pulmonary vasculitis in Behçet’s disease: a cumulative analysis. Chest 127:2243–2253

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Celenk C, Aydin F, Unsal M (2009) Pulmonary alterations in Behcet’s disease. Eur J Radiol 70:317–319

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Uzun O, Erkan L, Akpolat I, Findik S, Atici AG, Akpolat T (2008) Pulmonary involvement in Behçet’s disease. Respiration 75:310–321

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Hiller N, Lieberman S, Chajek-Shaul T, Bar-Ziv J, Shaham D (2004) Thoracic manifestations of Behçet disease at CT. Radiographics 24:801–808

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Cheng TK, Thong BY, Chng HH (2004) Behcet’s disease: experience in a tertiary rheumatology center in Singapore and a review of the literature. Ann Acad Med Singapore 33:510–514

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Davatchi F, Shahram F, Gharibdoost F, Akbarian M, Nadji A, Chams C et al (1995) Behcet’s disease. Analysis of 2806 cases (abstract). Arthritis Rheum 38(Suppl):S391

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest statement

No conflict of interest to be declared.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 174 Changhai Road, 200433, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Liao-Yuan Wang, Dong-Bao Zhao & Sheng-Ming Dai

  2. Department of Dermatology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    Jun Gu

Authors
  1. Liao-Yuan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dong-Bao Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jun Gu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sheng-Ming Dai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sheng-Ming Dai.

Additional information

Drs L.-Y. Wang and D.-B. Zhao contributed equally to this work.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, LY., Zhao, DB., Gu, J. et al. Clinical characteristics of Behçet’s disease in China. Rheumatol Int 30, 1191–1196 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-009-1127-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-009-1127-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation