Characterization of the diagnostic criteria for Behcet’s disease

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Aim . To present the diagnostic criteria for Behcet’s disease and its frequency in the structure of systemic vasculitis. Materials and methods . The material for the study was the medical documentation of n=101 patients with suspected BD who were referred to the rheumatology department of the NMC “Shifobakhsh” for the period of 2017-2022. Information was collected on the speciality of the referring physician, and demographic data were recorded, including age, gender, and ethnicity. A complete history of current symptoms was obtained, which included the type, severity, and duration of symptoms, as well as a family history of BD. Subsequently, all patients were examined by a group of multidisciplinary experts, including rheumatologists, dermatologists and ophthalmologists. All patients underwent the Pathergy test. Results . Of the total list of referred patients, 54 (53.5%) were women, and 47 (46.5%) were men. General practitioners were the most common speciality of attending physicians (33.7%) referring patients with suspected BD, followed by dentists (18.8%), ophthalmologists (16.8%) and rheumatologists 12.9%. The most common symptom referred for was oral lesions in 85.1%, followed by eye lesions in 31.7% and genital lesions in 22.8%. Out of 101 patients, 42.6% were diagnosed with BD, 18.8% had a probable diagnosis, and in 38.6% of patients, BD was ruled out. In patients who did not receive a diagnosis of BD, simple aphthous lesions were most common in 23.1%, followed by lichen planus in 4 (10.3%) and isolated eye involvement in 3 (7.7%). Conclusion . BD can mimic several other disease processes as it manifests itself through non-specific changes in several organ systems. A constellation of findings put together eventually leads to a diagnosis. The results of this study can be used by rheumatologists who deal daily with patients with a high probability of BD and atypical manifestations. However, the alternative diagnoses established in this study can be used as a list of the most common differential diagnoses for systemic vasculitis.