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Causes
The exact cause for this rare disease is not known. The presence
of the gene HLA–B51 may be a likely predisposition for getting
this disease. It is believed that more than one factor,
including infections and other environmental exposures, play a
role.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms are:
• Mouth sores affect almost all patients with Behçet's disease.
They are often the first symptom of the disease visible to the
eye. The lesions are numerous, large, painful and can make
eating difficult.
• Genital sores affect more than half of the patients with the
disease. They are similar to mouth sores and may be painful. In
men, painful genital lesions form on the scrotum and in women,
painful genital ulcers develop on the vulva.
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• Inflammation inside of the eye
occurs in more that half of Behçet's disease patients. It can
cause blurred vision, pain, redness and can lead to blindness.
• Skin problems are common in Behcet’s disease. Painful red
nodules or acne-like lesions typically appear on the legs and
upper torso.
• Inflammation of the joints or arthritis occurs in more than
half of Behcet’s disease patients.
• Inflammation in the central nervous system called
meningoencephalitis can occur in this disease. If untreated,
this can lead to stroke.
• Inflammation in the digestive organs can occur as a result of
this disease. Sores identical to mouth and genital sores can
occur throughout the digestive tract.
Diagnosis
It is not easy to diagnose Behcet’s disease. There no one single
comprehensive test that can identify the disease. It is usually
a case of reviewing the symptoms that a patient reports and
ruling out other diseases. To diagnose Behcet’s disease, a
patient must have experienced mouth sores at least three times
in 12 months with any two of the following symptoms:
• Recurring genital sores
• Eye inflammation with loss of vision
• Characteristic skin lesions
• A positive pathergy test.
Pathergy test is a skin test in which the forearm is pricked
with a small, sterile needle. After one or two days, if there is
a small red bump at the site of the needle insertion, then the
test is considered positive and the patient is likely to have
the disease. But the pathergy test is not 100% accurate, not all
patients have the same reaction to the test and certain other
conditions can cause positive pathergy results.
Treatment
There is no cure for this disease but patients can control
symptoms and prevent serious complications arising out of it.
The treatment is targeted to reduce the patient’s discomfort and
prevent serious complications such as blindness. An effective
treatment is based on an individual’s symptoms and its severity.
Usually, a combination of treatments is prescribed to relieve
specific symptoms. Some of the medication used in controlling
the disease includes Corticosteroids such as prednisone,
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and Immunosuppressant
drugs. Exercise can help patients keep their joints strong and
flexible. Lifestyle changes that benefit Behcet's include a
nutrient-rich diet, moderate exercise, proper rest, and an
avoidance of environmental chemicals.
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