Primary Headache in Behçet's and Neuro-Behçet's Disease.

Abstract

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem vasculitis, which can involve the central nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, the blood vessels, the joints, and the lungs. Neurological involvement is about 5%, but the headache is common in these patients. This study aimed to investigate whether differences exist in the onset and types of primary headaches between patients with BD without neurological involvement (BWoNI) and patients with neurological involvement, that is, neuro-Behçet's disease (NBD). A total of 136 consecutive BD patients (98 BWoNI and 38 NBD) were evaluated and compared. Primary headaches beginning before and after the onset of BD were found in 27.6 and 48.1% of BWoNI patients, respectively, and in 10.5 and 34.2% of NBD patients, respectively. The start of primary headaches was more frequent after then before the onset of BD in each group and overall. The primary headache types were similar in both BWoNI and NBD patients. The primary headache starts more frequently after then before the onset of BD, and characteristics of primary headaches were similar in both BWoNI and NBD patients.