WHAT IS BEHÇET’S DISEASE?
Behçet’s Disease is an unknown disease that is accompanied by sores in the oral and sexual region, and can also involve all organs and tissues in the body, especially the skin, eyes, medium and large joints, veins, the cause of which is unclear.
CAUSES OF BEHÇET’S DISEASE
There is no established cause of Behçet’s disease yet. However, in addition to the environmental factors that trigger the disease, infectious agents, bacteria or viruses and genetic predisposition are focused on. The familial transition is not yet fully known. It is rarely seen in other members of the family as well.
SYMPTOMS OF BEHÇET’S DISEASE
Mouth sores: Mouth sores are present in almost all patients.It can be seen alone for years before other symptoms of the disease appear. Wounds can occur singly or in large numbers on the inside of the cheek, tongue, lips, soft palate. The middle of the wounds is dirty white, the surrounding area is red and painful. They usually recover within 7 to 14 days. It is repetitive and the frequency of recurrence varies from patient to patient.
Wounds of the sexual region Various Skin Symptoms: Skin symptoms in Behçet’s disease are common at the beginning or during the course of the disease.
Usually, stiffness such as a red and painful button is seen on the front of the legs. They rarely settle irregularly and scattered on the trunk. Their diameter is between 1-5 centimeters. Dec. within 10-15 days, they heal without turning into a wound, often leaving a slight stain on their places.
Acne-like symptoms are germ-free and purulent blisters. It is no different from acne in terms of appearance. For this reason, it is necessary to evaluate it together with other symptoms of the disease. They occur on the back, face, chest, groin, buttocks, sexual area, arms and legs.
Sores resembling canker sores inside the mouth can be seen on the body, usually except for the armpits, breasts, Decussations and sexual area. These occur less often than other symptoms.
Eye-related symptoms: Eye retention, the frequency and severity of which varies; it is more common in young men, rarer and milder in women and the elderly. The main complaints of patients are decreased vision, pain around the eyes, bleeding, discomfort of the eye from light, haze, obscuration and blackheads flying.
Joint Symptoms: Behçet’s patients often have large joints; knee, ankle, wrist and elbow are affected. In addition, there may be symptoms related to Behçet’s Disease in the hand and foot joints, finger joints and hip joints. Joint retention occurs in the form of joint pain and joint swelling. While movement restriction is observed in the joint, redness is not very common. Joint involvement does not cause deformity and usually heals on its own within 1-2 weeks.
Vascular symptoms: Both arteries and veins can get sick in Behçet’s disease. In our country, vein occlusion (thrombophlebitis) is more common, while artery occlusion is very rare. Superficial venous retention manifests itself as swelling, redness, pain that stretches like a rope on the leg or is round.
Nervous System symptoms: Nervous system involvement is very rare. Patients may have symptoms such as constant headache, double vision that occurs Dec Dec, numbness in the arms or legs, weakness, balance disorder, difficulty walking, slurred speech, forgetfulness. Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Rarely, patients may experience sore throat, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, constipation. Lung Symptoms
It is quite rare in patients in our country. There may be a persistent cough, chest pain, removal of pink-colored or bloody sputum.
DIAGNOSIS OF BEHÇET’S DISEASE
Behçet’s disease can be said to be roughly a vascular inflammation in a general sense. It is not necessary that all the symptoms appear at the same time. While some symptoms do not exist in the first years of the disease, they may appear in later years.
The presence of at least two of the findings should suggest the disease. When diagnosing Behçet’s disease, it is a must to have oral canker sores. The presence of four of the signs such as mouth sores (oral canker sores), sexual area sores, eye findings, red hardness of the skin, hair like inflammations and the presence of a positive pathergy test are necessary for diagnosis.
TREATMENT OF BEHÇET’S DISEASE
The choice of treatment depends on the patient’s clinical symptoms. This disease, which is accompanied by exacerbations and improvements, may show circuits in which its symptoms ease or disappear over time. Treatment consists of two parts: local(external) and systemic. Local treatment is applied to the skin, intraoral and sexual area symptoms. Systemic therapy is used for organ involvement.