Behcet’s disease in Iran: Analysis of 7641 cases

Abstract

Objective: To analyze Behcet’s Disease (BD) in Iran, from 1975 to 2018, and compare to 35 large/small reports from other countries.Methods: Patients from all over Iran, when suspected, were sent to the BD Unit. The diagnosis was done by expert opinion. All data were recorded in the BD registry (updated in each follow-up). The data are given in percentage with 95% confidence Intervals.Results: The mean age at onset was 25.6 years. Standard deviation (SD) was 9.8. The mean disease duration was 11.7 years (SD: 8.9). Males were 55.8% (54.7–56.9), Females 44.2% (43.1–45.3), Oral Aphthosis (OA) 97.5% (97.1–97.9), genital aphthosis (GA) 64.4% (63.3–65.5), skin lesions 62.2% (61.1–63.3), ocular lesions 55.6% (54.5–56.7), Joint Manifestations 38.1% (37.0–39.2), Gastrointestinal 6.8% (6.2–7.4), Vascular 8.9% (8.3–9.5), neurological (central–peripheral) 3.9% (3.5–4.3), epididymitis 4.6% (4.1–5.1). Lab tests were positive pathergy test 50.4% (49.3–51.5), elevated ESR 51.1% (50.0–52.2), abnormal urinalysis 13.4% (12.6–14.2). The International Study Group (ISG, 1990) criteria and the International Criteria for Behcet’s Disease (ICBD, 2014) had respectively a sensitivity of 76.2% (75.2–77.2) and 96.6% (96.2–97.0). The specificity was 99.3% (99.1–99.5) and 97.3% (96.9–97.7). The accuracy was 86.4% (85.8–87.0) and 96.9% (96.6–97.2).Conclusion: The most frequent manifestations were OA, GA, skin manifestations, and ocular manifestations.