THE INTERRELATIONSHIP OF METABOLIC SYNDROME AND BEHCET’S DISEASE IN A COHORT OF EGYPTIAN PATIENTS (A cross-sectional study)

Abstract

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (Met S) increased in chronic inflammatory diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Behcet’s disease (BD) is a chronic, multisystem disease with immuno-inflammatory etioloy. The study was aimed to assess the prevalence of Met S among Egyptian Behcet patients. We also tried to detect the relationship of Met S and its various aspects with activity and severity of BD and oral ulcer activity. The study population consisted of 60 BD patients and 60 healthy, age and sex matched controls. BD patients were diagnosed according to the criteria of the International Study Group of Behcet’s disease. Clinical data were collected at the time of enrollment as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and arterial blood pressure. Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-c), high density lipoprotein (HDL-c), triglycerides (TGs), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin, and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were estimated. Met S diagnosis was established according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. The prevalence of Met S in sixty BD patients was 30%, while in the healthy, age and sex matched control group was 16.6 % (p>0.05). Among males, Met S prevalence was 28.5% in BD patients and 9.3% in controls, while in females, Met S prevalence was 33.3% in Behcet patients and 35.9% in controls. The BD severity and activity as well as oral ulcer activity were negatively correlated with the duration of the disease and patients’ age (p<0.5). The disease severity and activity were positively correlated with fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, TC, TGs, LDL-c, IL-6, and hsCRP, while oral ulcer activity was positively correlated with insulin and TGs (p<0.05). It was concluded within the limits of this study that BD patients should be followed up regularly for diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension to prevent Met S development.