What is Bechet’s disease?
Bechet’s disease is a rare disease characterized by painful mouth ulcers, genital ulcers, eye problems, and skin wounds. The disease was named after the Turkish dermatologist Hulusi Bechet, who first described the syndromes in 1924.
What causes Bechet’s disease?
The cause is unknown but it is thought to be an autoimmune disorder.
What is an autoimmune disorder?
This is when an individual’s immune system begins to react against its own tissue. The cause remains unknown but a bacterial or viral infection is possible which plays a role in promoting the onset of the disease.
Where does it appear?
Bechet’s disease is the most common and serious in people who have a bloodline in the “Silk Road” countries. Silk Road countries include those in the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle and Far East; the incidence is from 1 in 10,000 people. However, Bechet’s disease is also widespread in other nationalities; in the United States, 1 patient per 20,000 population was reported.
In people in the Silk Road countries, Bechet’s disease is more common in men than in women. However, the trend is reversed in other nationalities where there is a higher number of womenthan men. The disease can develop at any age, but is most common in people aged 20-30.
What are the signs and symptoms of Bechet’s disease?
Mouthulcers are the most common and earliest sign of Bechet’s disease. But before they occur, the patient may have a number of problems with symptoms that include:
– Sore throat and tonsils
– Pain in muscles and joints
– General weakness (weakness)
– Anorexia, weight loss
– Headache
– Change in body temperature
Mouthulcers are usually the first sign of Bechet’s disease and occur in about 70% of patients. Ulcers can appear anywhere in the mouth including the tongue and the inside of the lips and jaw. They usually last 1-2 weeks, but can stay up to 3 weeks.
Other common signs and indicative symptoms of Bechet’s disease include: Genital ulcers: These ulcers may occur more often than mouth ulcers. They are painful and often treated by removal, they are not genital herpes but are caused by the herpes virus.
Can the disease also affect the eyes?
Eye involvement manifests itself in the form of uveitis, which is manifested by redness and tearing of the eye tissue. Retina may also be involved and blindness can occur if left untreated.
Can the disease also affect the eyes?
Eye involvement manifests itself in the form of uveitis, which is manifested by redness and tearing of the eye tissue. Retina may also be involved and blindness can occur if left untreated.
Skin wounds: Painful nodules of erythema nodosum are common. Patients may also have acne-like sores that appear on their arms, legs and torso.
Less common symptoms include gastrointestinal symptoms(e.g., abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting), joint pain and sweating, central nervous system problems, blood vessel problems, and circulatory problems.
How is Bechet’s disease diagnosed?
Bechet’s disease can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms appear and pass and may not be present at the same time. If you have frequent sores in your mouth, if you have genital sores, uveitis and sores on your skin this suggests Bechet’s disease.
Are there any universal criteria for diagnosing Bechet’s disease?
International criteria for the classification of Bechet’s disease are:
At least 3 episodes of recurrence of mouth ulcers over a period of 12 months plus at least 2 more of the following symptoms:
- Genital ulcers
- Uveitis or damage to the retina
- Wounds on the skin
- A positive pathergia test is a skin test that confirms Bechet’s disease
Positive test for patergia
How is Bechet’s disease treated?
There is currently no cure but the main goal is to treat and control the symptoms so that complications do not develop. Because Bechet’s disease affects different parts of the body, different specialists are involved in the treatment.
Some medications that can help control symptoms are:
Topical treatment
Systemic therapy
- Oral corticosteroids
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (eg aspirin, ibuprofen)
- Immunosuppressive drugs (eg azathioprine, chlorambucil)
- Experimental and research drugs (eg Colchicine, Cycloposphamide, Thalidomide, Infliximaband Potassium iodide.
What is the forecast?
Bechet’s disease is a chronic disease where the acute phase arises and passes with varying degrees of intensity. In the early stages of the disease, seizures can be frequent and last for several weeks. As time goes on the attacks become longer, and the intervals between attacks can become longer while in some cases the attacks can stop all at once. Although the disease is then thought to be transient it may recur.
Death can occur in about 4% of cases of Bechet’s disease. Causes of mortality are attributed to gastrointestinal perforations, central nervous system involvement, and vascular aneurysms (dilation of blood vessels).
Many people with Bechet’s disease experience full age, although most have symptoms all the time.
Keywords: Bechet’s disease, ulcers in the mouth and genitals, eye changes, chronic disease,
In short: Bechet’s disease is a disease characterized by the appearance of ulcers in the mouth, skin and genitals and inflammation of the eye. Ulcers can also occur on other organs. The disease is chronic and is treated with symptomatic therapy.
Did you know: The most severe complication of Bechet’s disease involves the central nervous system, which affects the white matter of the brain and the brainstem. Symptoms include headache, confusion, stroke, personality changes, and non-contagious meningitis. Eye involvement is the main cause of the disease and causes the most fear because it leads to a rapid progression to blindness. Pregnant women with Bechet’s disease must record symptoms especially in the first trimester of pregnancy.
For My doctor: Perica Ante dr.med. dermatovenerologist
