Case presentation of Behcet’s syndrome with neurological involvement

Abstract

Vasculitis is a heterogeneous group of conditions with mostly non-specific etiology and diverse clinical presentation, defined by inflammation of the blood vessels, leading to ischemic damage to certain organs, including the nervous system. The etiology is multifactorial, with a genetic predetermination (the HLA-system is involved), and environmental factors. In almost all cases of vasculitis, there is a triggering factor, which is not always diagnosed and determined. There is no common diagnostic standard for each type of vasculitis. Important hallmarks for the diagnosis are age, sex, and ethnicity of the patient. The clinical presentation is diverse and in correlation to the extent, localization, and degree of the vascular involvement. Laboratory and roentgenology tests are done, aimed at finding the potential type of vasculitis and the expected specific involvement of the damaged organs, including the central nervous system. To quantify the extent of the progression of the condition, the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity scoring system is used. It is an aggregation of symptoms, which when used can help determine the changes and make a prognosis for the presentation of the patient. We present a case with an established and confirmed diagnosis of Behcet’s disease and the dynamics presented on the magnetic resonance imaging during several hospitalizations over a two-year period.